


Grudge

by TheArtisticIntrovert



Series: When We Hold A Grudge [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood, Nonbinary Character, Sci-Fi, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:58:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8474461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtisticIntrovert/pseuds/TheArtisticIntrovert
Summary: Life on A-Tau 87's lone planet was wonderful. Everyone had their job, everyone knew their place, and The Council kept the peace.Unless you were a Tertiary.Now Max has fallen headfirst into the corrupt underbelly of society, racing to save a world that doesn't want saving, along with a ragtag bunch of war criminals and outlaws.Life sure isn't easy when you're a Class Five.





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> AT LAST!!! AT LONG LONG LAST!!!!!! IT'S ALIIIIIVVVEEEEE!!!!!
> 
> Welcome to the first book in When We Hold A Grudge! I'm proud to welcome you to the new and improved version, now with 200% more characters, 200% better writing, and over 9000% more gay!
> 
> I just wanted some space gays, man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMPLETELY EDITED

The icy wind whistled through the shells of crumbling buildings. Far off into the distance, the shouts of the retiring Huens could be heard, echoing over the moaning of the wind. The ruins of the once great city now overgrown and war-torn. On top of a nearby hill, a small figure stands silhouetted in the smoky darkness. “Mama… I’m sorry.  _ I’ll keep my promise, don’t you worry. They’ll all smile, you’ll see.  _ I’ll be a good boy…” As his mutterings fade off into the darkness, the cold silence once more fell across GD-R65, broken only by the cruel rushing of the wind.

 

*****

 

Maxwell Mohr wasn’t always broken. He was a normal boy on his home planet of GD-R65—colloquially referred to as Grudge—at least, as normal as life could get in a recovering war zone. He grew up in the small town of Hanging Tree, just outside of Sector 3’s residential district, where everyone knew everyone. His mother (Shona, a mute Yellow Pastel), and father (Grant, a Class 1 Tertiary), fought all the time, and young Max took to hiding or running to escape it. He would sit for hours on end, huddled up with his sister and waiting for it to be over. Max didn’t like loud noises or yelling, you see. They gave him terrible headaches.

 

One night, his father came home later than usual. Max’s mother started nagging at his father, demanding to know where he’d been. He tried to defend himself, saying that he had just gone out with some of the Darks from work, but she wasn’t having it. The growling voice of his dad just got louder and louder, barely a pause in between to let his mother sign any response. His booming voice grated on the interior of Max’s skull, scraping at his eyeballs and pounding on his brain. Why couldn’t they just shut up and pretend to like each other, just for a night?! He was sick of all the fighting, he just wanted them to smile and be a happy family, like before. Everyone had always said that they were so in love before he was born, so maybe  _ he  _ should be the one to fix it? A sickly sweet fog descended over his mind, soothing his doubts and reassuring him that this was the right thing to do. A twisted grin spread across his face, and for the first time since his sister was arrested, he ventured out of his hiding spot while they were screaming.

  
*****

 

“Daddy?” said Max. “I need to ask you something…” Grant Mohr turned. His large, squarish face was cherry-red, except his eyes, which were a watery pale pink. 

 

“What is it, Max?” he asked, sighing and looking down at the small boy next to him. Max looked at him with wide, innocent lime-green eyes, a soft glow shining just behind his pupils.

 

“You and Mama are always so grumpy! Why don’t you smile more often?” Max inched over to the kitchen knives on the counter, his movements missed by the adults. “I heard you were sooooo happy before I was born, why can’t you be happy again? Is it my fault?” Grant’s eyes widened, and he was quick to reassure his son.

 

“No, no! Max, trust me, you have  _ nothing  _ to do with this,” he said, crouching down next to him.

 

Max snickered, lips twitching. “Really? Because Nini told me you guys used to be so happy before I was born! Is it because I’m a Tertie?” he asked, clasping his hands behind his back and rocking a bit on his heels. Shona gasped softly, coming over to them. Max however, didn’t miss the way her lips tightened when she came up next to Grant. He scowled, reaching up to her face. He poked her cheeks, pouting. “If it’s not because I’m a Tertie, then why do you frown every time you look at me? Why won’t you smile, Mom?” he asked, trying to push her face up into a smile. She batted his hands away, brushing her knuckles against his cheek before pulling back.

 

_ “Trust me, sweetheart, it really has nothing to do with you,”  _ she signed, looking at him imploringly. He hesitated, doubt creeping in, before the fog was back.

 

_ “They’re still not smiling, now they’re sad, and it really is your fault. Come on, be a good boy… Why don’t you fix this? You know how…”  _ it implored, seeping into the cracks in his resolve. Max shook his head, trying to clear it. It felt like his skull was stuffed with cotton, the kind that the nurse at his school gives him when his nose bleeds. He looked again at the frowning and tearful faces of his family, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

 

“Mama… Daddy… Wkhuh'v vrphwklqj lq pb khdg, dqg L wklqn lw zdqwv ph wr nloo brx… ,” he whimpered, looking tearfully at them. They didn’t understand him… He tried again, desperately. “Pdpd! Gdggb! Sohdvh, L'p vfduhg! ” he pleaded, to no avail. The words just kept getting scrambled, and in his frustration, he buried his head in his hands and screamed. Distracted, he didn’t notice a staticky feeling crawling up his legs and through his arms, but he did faintly hear his dad ask what was wrong. It sounded weird though, like he was trying to talk through pudding.

 

_ ‘Dad… I can’t hear you!’  _ he tried to yell, but his mouth wouldn’t obey his commands anymore.

 

_ “I was going to let them live, but you have been a naughty boy, haven’t you? Now I have to punish you…”  _ the fog whispered, sounding smug. He felt his mouth twitch up in a grin, a laugh that wasn’t his bursting through his lips. Shona was signing frantically, begging to know what was wrong, but the thing in his body didn’t respond. In fact, it only seemed amused at her attempts.

 

*****

 

Max grabbed a large carving knife, accidentally knocking the rest to the floor. Grant sprung into action, years of training kicking in. He grabbed Max’s upper arms, trying to pin them to his sides. “Maxwell Mohr! What the hell’s gotten into you?!” he snapped, fighting to stand without use of his arms.

 

“Ahaha! Now that’s  _ cute. _ You think you can hold  _ me, _ old man?” Max sneered, giggling. His soft lime glow had been supplemented with something.........harsher. Something subtle, sure, but at the same time,  _ off _ . Grant couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip. Beside him, Shona was fluttering frantically, but he couldn’t pay her any mind at the moment, as all his attention was focused on keeping the sharp knife away from his face.

 

“Don’t speak to me like that, Maxwell! Now, I don’t know what’s going on with you right now, but trust me, we can work it out, together!” Grant said sternly, sliding his hands down to Max’s elbows. A strangled squeak from behind him distracted him, causing his guard to drop for a split second. Unfortunately, it was all the opening Max needed. He tore his arms out of Grant’s loosened grip, wincing when the movement jostled the new—now fading—bruises on his arms.

 

He shook off the pain, growling when he noticed Shona sending off a message on her tablet. “Oh, you  _ really _ should not have done that......” he snarled, lunging at the tablet with the knife. She pulled back at the last second, clocking him on the top of the head with it. He yelped, snarling and whipping around with the knife, cutting a deep gash across her neck. He tackled her, knocking her to the ground.

 

Pinning her down with his knees, he ripped the knife through her face, creating a ghastly grin that spread from ear to ear. “I  _ did  _ promise him that I would make you two smile,” he sniggered, poising the knife to stab into her chest, when he was torn off of her. He heard sirens in the distance and cursed, thrashing around in Grant’s grip.

 

“Let me go!” he screamed, trying desperately to wriggle loose and grab the lost knife. Grant just gripped him tighter, carrying him over to a thick metal chair by the door. “NO! No, don’t you DARE!” Max screeched, squirming like a fish.

 

“This is for your own good, Max. I don’t want to do this, honestly. But something’s wrong, this isn’t you! It’s to keep you safe. I.......I don’t.....I don’t need anyone else dying tonight!” Grant said, swallowing down the lump in his throat as he pulled out a roll of adhesive and began securing Max’s hands together behind the chair.

 

Max squirmed and thrashed, but it was futile. Hands secure, Grant came around to the front to tie his wildly kicking legs to the chair. Max was practically frothing at the mouth now, his eyes glowing so bright they were nearly blinding as he tried to kick Grant in the head. Grant just caught the foot, wrangling it into position pressed against the chair leg, encasing it in the adhesive. “You think  _ this  _ will hold  _ me?!”  _ he screamed, eyes wild and chest heaving as he struggled. Grant shrugged, taking a step back.

 

“Well, I sure hope so. It’s military-grade adhesive, used to patch aircraft and transport tanks. I’m fairly certain it’ll hold an angry preteen,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. If Max looked cracked before, now he looked positively deranged.

 

“I’LL  _ KILL _ YOU!” he screamed, growling and rocking, achieving nothing but scooting the chair a bit. Grant rolled his eyes, pulling his tablet out while he kept an eye on the kid. He dialed a number he had never had a reason to use before.

 

“Hey, Shadi? It’s Grant. Look, I can’t explain over the phone, the Red branch is nearly here. I need you to get to mine and Sho’s house as soon as you can. Bring your kit. Yeah, I know it’s late, but I dialed your work line for a reason,” he said, looking suspiciously at Max when he suddenly stopped moving and slumped in the chair. “Look, I told you I can’t explain it over the phone, as I don’t understand it myself, it’s something you’ll have to see to get. ……..Ten minutes? Yeah, I can wait that long. Help’s already on the way, but knowing the quality of Dispatch at this time of night, I’ll get one or two Flats, maybe another Dark if I’m lucky. Yeah, I’ll wait. Go get dressed, I’ll be here,” he said, before hanging up. He crossed his arms as he stared down at the limp form of the boy in front of him, narrowing his eyes.

 

“What’s the deal, kid?” he asked finally, refusing to be tricked by the little monster in front of him. Max looked up, eyes brimming with tears.

 

“Daddy…? Why… Why am I tied to a chair…?” he whimpered, testing the bindings. Grant’s breath caught, and he kneeled just out of arm’s reach of the chair.

 

“Max? Buddy, is it really you?” he asked, studying the face of his son with hope barely concealed in his eyes. Max sniffled, tears leaving grayish streaks down his face.

 

“I… I want Mama….” he whimpered, looking up at Grant with huge, pleading eyes. “D-Daddy? Could you untie me… so I can go see Mama?” he asked quietly, shifting his wrists. Grant’s eyes narrowed, red flags popping up in his mind. Slowly, he rose up and backed away a little bit. He suppressed a sigh when he noticed the barely concealed rage and frustration flash in Max’s eyes.

 

“Sorry, bud. Just wait ‘til the LEB gets here. We can clear everything up then, and then you can get out of the chair, alright?” he said, dragging a hand down his face. He sighed in relief when the doorbell rang, glancing back at the trembling form of his son before rethinking just leaving him alone. Grant picked up the chair, tucking it under one arm as he went to the front door. Sure enough, one of the Flats in the Department was standing outside. He sighed and opened the door, letting the man in. “Hey, Scott,” he said tiredly, poking his head outside and smiling when he spotted the willowy form of his sibling-in-law. “Hey, watch the kid for a second, don’t go in the kitchen. I need to go brief Shadi,” Grant said, nodding towards the chair that was sitting behind the door. Max was eyeing Scott with an odd gleam in his eye, but Grant had bigger fish to fry than a murderous five -year-old.

 

Shadi, Shona’s older sibling, was standing on the front lawn waiting for Grant to explain the late call for help.  Grant approached the Yellow out on the lawn while running a hand through his hair. “Hey, Shadi,” he greeted, shoulders slumping with exhaustion. Shadi raised an eyebrow, crossing their arms.

 

“Hey yourself. You look terrible Grant, what happened?” they asked, voice sharp and to the point as ever. Grant shrugged, thinking over the events of the night.

 

“I’m going to be completely honest here when I say I have no clue. One minute, Sho was harping on me for forgetting to tell her I was staying late with friends. The next thing I know, Max is out of wherever he hides during those fights asking if it’s  _ his _ fault that we fight all the time,” he explained, grimacing in sympathy when Shadi’s face looked as horrified as he and Sho had felt. “Yeah. Anyway, he asked if it was because he was a Tertiary, but when Sho and I tried to reassure him, he started speaking in some weird gibberish I’ve never even heard before! He started screaming, but then it just….stopped. After that, he…well…I think it’d be better if I showed you. Just….remember that it probably wasn’t Max who did it,” he said quietly, before leading them inside.

 

Inside, chaos reigned. Scott was pointing one of the kitchen knives at a screaming Max, who was still struggling in the chair. “LET ME GO! I  _ NEED _ TO KEEP MY PROMISE! I PROMISED HIM, I  _ PROMISED  _ HIM!” Max screamed, glowing so brightly the entire living room was bathed in green. Scott was trembling where he stood, gritting his teeth and glaring. Shadi looked around, shocked.

 

“M-Max?” Shadi called, taking a step into the room. The child’s head dropped back, hanging upside-down over the edge of the chair as he stared. His face broke out into a wide grin, eyes closing slightly. It would’ve been cute if it weren’t for the fact that the smile was showing many more teeth than should’ve been possible, making it look almost animalistic.

 

“Nini! Nini, you gotta help me! Daddy tied me to this chair and that guy over there was threatening me and I’m so glad to see you!” he rambled, still showing his teeth. With narrowed eyes, Shadi was about to let Max loose, when Grant touched their arm gently. They turned to glare at him, about to ask what the deal was, when they saw the pain in Grant’s eyes.

 

“Don’t.....I know it may not seem like it, but he’s dangerous, Shadi. He… He attacked Shona, and I don’t know if she’s still alive… That’s why I called you. If anyone can help her, you can,” he said softly, voice rough with suppressed emotion. Shadi nodded, frowning slightly.

 

“Alright.... I believe you. Where is she? I’m fairly certain that I’ll be able to save her, if she hasn’t already lost too much fluid,” Shadi said finally, looking away.

 

“She’s in the kitchen. Come on, I’ll show you to her. I just hope you can help her…” he said weakly, edging past Max—who was frighteningly still once again—and leading Shadi into the kitchen.

 

*****

 

It wasn’t a pretty sight. Jade splatters were covering the lower edges of the walls, a small pool forming under Shona’s head where her mouth and neck were still bleeding sluggishly, though the wounds were now half-healed. Shadi gasped, rushing over to the body of their younger sister. They petted her hair, lifting her head gently and checking for a pulse. For a tense few moments, nothing happened. Then, a weak hum buzzed under their fingers. Shadi nearly cried with relief, unzipping their medikit and hunting through it for the proper replacement fluid. Shona’s hand twitched weakly, eyes drifting sluggishly up to Shadi’s face. The hum was louder now, but sounding even more choked than before.

 

“She just went into a dormant state. You should know about it. The one right before….right before death,” they explained, swallowing down tears before shakily relaying the information to Grant.

 

“But…You can save her, right?” he asked hopefully, glancing over at her still form. Shadi frowned slightly, pushing aside packets of gauze and a shock cube.

 

“I’m not sure. That all depends on if I can find the right replacement vial in time. She’s already been in this state for about twenty minutes. If I’m not quick enough, she may still die,” they explained, digging through the specialized storage compartment in the bottom half of the kit. They slammed their hands against the floor and cursed, sniffling, when the search turned up empty. Of  _ course _ they’d be out, of  _ course  _ this had to be the  _ one _ day that they  _ didn’t  _ meticulously check their bag before leaving!

 

“Shadi? Is......Is everything alright?” Grant asked quietly. He sounded so worried and heartbroken, like he already knew the answer they didn’t want to give.

 

“I don’t have anything that’d be compatible with her,” they replied dully, tears slipping down their nose and leaving translucent, light blue splatters on the floor in front of them. Their hands clenched, trembling, as they started to break down. “I don’t have any fluid for her, and she’s gonna  _ die, _ Grant! I can’t even save my own  _ sister!” _ they choked out, stiffening when a thick arm wrapped around their shoulders. Grant had kneeled next to them, pulling them close to his body.

 

“You did all you could, Shadi. I don’t blame you,” he whispered. “If anything, I blame myself. If I hadn’t gone out with the others after work and forgotten to send her a message, we wouldn’t have gotten in that fight and Max wouldn’t have…have…” he continued gruffly, trailing off and hiccuping near the end. Pale purple mixed with the blue on the floor, creating a small, murky puddle on the tiles below their knees.

 

They both sat there in silence for a bit longer, until shrill laughter and a scream broke the moment. Grant shot up, cursing. “What the hell was that?!” Shadi asked, panicked. They scrambled to their feet as well, following Grant as he rushed back into the living room. Somehow, Max had managed to escape his bindings. He was standing over a bleeding and crying Scott, bright cyan fluid staining the edge of the once-spotless silver of the knife in his hand. He stabbed through Scott’s neck, twisting and dragging until a large gash was cut clean through his neck, severing several thick fluid tubes.

 

“I  _ told you _ it wouldn’t hold me,  _ Pops!”  _ He giggled mockingly at Grant, dodging his outstretched hands and running away through the still-open door. Grant cursed again, rushing out after his son, but it was too late. 

 

He was gone.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the hierarchy is confusing as hell, so I'm just gonna pop a link to the official tumblr page that explains everything. Also there's a comic, but it's on hiatus right now.
> 
> http://wwhg-comic.tumblr.com/hierarchy
> 
>  
> 
> Orbari (Caesar Cipher):
> 
> Wkhuh'v vrphwklqj lq pb khdg dqg L wklqn lw zdqwv ph wr nloo brx - There's something in my head, and I think it wants me to kill you  
> Pdpd! Gdggb! Sohdvh, L'p vfduhg! - Mama, Daddy! I'm scared!
> 
> Pronunciations:
> 
> Wkhuh'v -> wik-HUH-uhvh  
> vrphwklqj -> veer-PUH-wik-liqujh  
> lq -> LICK  
> pb -> pib  
> khdg -> kih-DIG  
> dqg -> dick-uhgh  
> L -> il  
> wklqn -> wik-lih-QUINN  
> lw -> ill-wuh  
> zdqwv -> zih-DICK-quiv  
> ph -> PUH  
> wr -> wir  
> nloo -> nih-LOO  
> brx -> BRICKS
> 
> pdpd -> pih-dip-ed  
> gdggb -> gih-dig-gib  
> sohdvh -> soh-DOVE  
> L'p -> il-IP (like phillip)  
> vfduhg -> vif-DUG
> 
> The cipher isn't him speaking gibberish, it's him speaking in Zero's language. Huens, however, only know Huen, unless they've installed a seperate language program. Orbari is totally foreign to them.


	2. MAX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit 10/28/17: the chapter titles from here on out are reference to point of view, a la the pjo books.

Max kept running, far after the housing block faded from view. The thing that had taken over his body seemed to be tiring, staggering to a halt in a dark alley. It slumped against the wall, hitting the damp asphalt with a dull thud as it struggled for breath.  _ “You’ve had your fun, now get  _ **_out_ ** _ of my head!”  _ Max raged, slowly coming back to awareness. He slammed against the mental barrier with all the rage a five-year-old boy could muster, screaming all the while. The thing chuckled raggedly, wiping the fluid stains and tears off of Max’s face.

 

“No. I have not finished my mission yet. Remember how I  _ promised _ you I would make everyone smile?” it asked, grinning. Max faltered, the conversation from before coming back to him.

 

*****

 

_ “Just let me in, I’ll make them all smile again, I promise you. You do not need to do a thing…” The hissing voice curled around his brain, bypassing his ears completely. Probably for the best, as they were still covered. The shadows covering his mouth and right hand shifted, smoothing over his skin in a perverse mockery of comfort. Max took in a shaky breath, mulling over the offer. _

 

_ “You… you promise I won’t have to do anything? I don’t have to hurt them?” he whispered, peeking back at the shadow behind him. It smiled toothily, eyes crinkling in what he hoped was amusement. _

 

_ “Well of course! What sort of friend would I be if I couldn’t help you fix your mistakes?” it whispered, a laugh like sandpaper scraping over bone echoing around Max’s mind. Max sniffed away the tears threatening to leak out of his eyes, wincing as another booming shout shook the entryway. “Come on, Max. Just let me in. Don’t you want to be a good boy?” cajoled the shadow, slipping around to face Max from the front. _

 

_ Max’s eyes dimmed and he dropped his gaze to the floor, swallowing the lump in his throat. “...yeah. I wanna be a good boy…” he mumbled, wiping tears away. The shadow grinned, clapping its hands together. _

 

_ “Excellent! You’re already doing so well,” it praised, before raising its claws. “Now, just let me…” _

 

*****

 

“You told me that you would let me make them ‘all’ smile. You did not specify just who this ‘all’  _ was. _ For all I knew, you meant the entire population of your  _ worthless _ planet,” it chuckled, twisting Max’s face into a grin so wide he felt the stretching pain even through the dull haze separating their minds. Max gulped, mind clouding over in rage.

 

_ “You never told me you’d keep my body after! Let me back in! Get out get out get out get  _ **_out!_ ** ” he screamed, pounding on the barrier again. The thing scowled, pushing back, but it had been caught off guard. The barrier shattered under the force of Max’s rage, catching them both off guard. “No, wait you don’t kno _ w w _ **_ha_ ** _ t you’re do _ **in** _ g!”  _ the shadow screeched, trying to shove Max away. However, the instant their wills came into contact, everything froze. Thoughts and memories and white hot  _ pain  _ rushed through their mind, cementing a bond neither of them had wanted to happen. They thrashed on the floor, screaming in pain as they clawed at their skull. When their fingers stained with lilac and their hair matted with grime and fluid, neither noticed. All they felt was the burning, all-encompassing  _ pain  _ that heralded their existence.

 

*****

 

When they came to, it was to a purple-stained brick in front of their face. Max sat up, hissing in pain as new scrapes made themselves apparent on his skin. “Did I… do it…?” he muttered to himself, wincing as his head throbbed.

 

_ “No!  _ You did not do anything but make this situation  _ worse!” _ growled a hissing voice. Max started in surprise. His mouth had moved, but he hadn’t been the one to speak. What’s going on…? His eyes rolled, and he scowled. “That, you idiot, is because nothing changed! I’m still here, all you did was merge our coding! All you  _ did  _ was act without thinking. You could have fried us both with your reckless actions!” he snarled, even as his eyes teared up again.

 

“But… I don’t understand…” he whimpered, trying and failing to stop his tears. His eyes rolled again, the shadow sharing his body absently wiping one eye with a gravel-dusted palm.

 

“I am a part of your coding, kid. What, did you really think I was fabricated by your pitiful imagination?” it sneered, brushing off the rocks covering its palm. Max’s silence was all the answer it needed as it sighed and pushed off the ground. “Look, your whining is going to get really old, really fast, so allow me to explain. The truth is that I am part of a program released here years ago to take over Tertiaries like you and wipe out your species’ miserable government. Your military managed to get rid of most of the weapon, probably due to their blatant racism and refusal to let anyone like you into the police force, but they missed the part with me and a few other strings like me in it. We laid low for a while and let you Huens think you had won, all while living inside your bodies. My...... _ companions _ got bored, and started to attack people for kicks,” it started, cracking its neck and starting off down the road again.

 

“Wait… Is  _ that  _ why people think that Tertiaries are violent?! No wonder everybody treats me like a timebomb, it’s because your stupid friends ruined the Tertiaries’ image!” Max cried, stopping dead and glaring at the wall. It exhaled an irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of its nose.

 

“Kid, no offense, but shut up. These people hated your kind before we even came into the picture. My companions just jumpstarted today’s society. Anyway, those hosts either got locked up or killed, but since my companions could not escape the prisons in time, they got stuck too. Eventually, they all got exterminated. I am the only one left, so it falls on me to finish what my creators—the Obari—started,” it replied snappishly, starting to stagger forwards again. Max scowled, trying to stop.

 

“Shut up! You’re  _ lying, _ aren’t you?! Why would people hate Tertiaries for no good reason? It doesn’t make sense! If it really  _ was _ you who made people think we’re awful, then why would you say that they hated people like me before? It just doesn’t make sense! I didn’t even do anything wrong, and people  _ still _ treat me like a criminal!” he snarled, stumbling as the stronger continued pressing on. It sighed again, clenching its teeth.

 

“I already  _ told _ you, the people on your planet are massive bigots. Every single one over the age of seven is incredibly closed-minded, for no apparent reason. Why do you think we wanted to wipe you all out? Genocide for the sake of genocide is fun and all, but there  _ was _ a reason. Peace through war is what my creators believed in, and if we had to wipe out every single one of you to do it then we would. We were going to build a  _ new _ government, a  _ better _ government! One with equality and less suffering for all!” it said, grinning and balling up a fist as pride and adrenaline rushed through its system. “But.....obviously, it did not work as planned. Your military was ruthless. After they learned we were hiding in what you call Tertiaries, nobody was safe. Only about one in every hundred hosted a piece of the weapon, but they didn’t care. They rounded up the Terties and sent them all to prison camps, citing the ‘safety of the populace’ as their primary concern. When—out of desperation—those pieces trapped in the camps staged a coup, the ones in charge ordered a mass execution of everyone inside. Only a few of my friends managed to escape, but it was too late. The Trojan Project was finished,” it said, sounding choked up. Max wasn’t sure if it was due to remembering losing its friends, or for the senseless deaths, but he still felt a little bad.   
  
“So… they were just looking for an excuse…?” he asked softly, swallowing down more tears. It nodded, and Max clenched his fists, too-long nails digging into his palms. “So no wonder my parents always fought after I was Pigmented… Calliope was at least a Secondary, but she was arrested years ago… If what you say is true, then my parents probably hate that I came out a Tertiary…” he whispered, rubbing the raised brand on his arm. Chuckling wetly, he wiped his eyes and exited the alley, keeping his head down to avoid any unwanted staring.

 

_ “You know, if you really understand, then you should help me. They do not deserve to live, not after what they did to you,”  _ it whispered in his mind. Another tendril of shadow calmed him, soothing his ragged nerves. As he tried to stop crying, he noticed the hateful and suspicious stares of passersby. Maybe it was because he was covered in dark emerald stains and muttering like a madman, but in light of what he’d just learned… He wasn’t quite sure anymore. Maybe they were just assuming…

 

_ “...yeah. They’re all so angry and sad, and always when they look at me. Everyone. My teachers, my classmates… I’m not allowed to even show myself if Dad’s having a company dinner, because I might make his coworkers upset… I hate it. I wanna change it,”  _ he replied, clutching his arms around his stomach where Scott had kicked him. His lips curled up into another wicked smile, but no words issued from its mouth. It changed course for the abandoned cargo docks on the edge of town, arms shifting to hide his brand.

 

_ “Excellent. I have the feeling we will make a great team.” _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 4/25/17: ok so it was pointed out to me that the ages are confusing. therefore, i'm clearing shit up. huen years are the same as two earth years. one year on grudge is around 632 days long, so when i say max is five and a half, he's the equivalent of a human eleven year old. "and a half" denotes odd ages, while just flat ages denote even ages.


	3. EDEN

Eden Adair had been living in this abandoned shipyard for almost two years now. Before, she had lived with a gang of abandoned Tertiaries, but that group dissolved a while ago when the  _ ever-so-kind  _ Law Branch Chief Eliam Penn and his squad had come through in a raid. As far as Eden knew, she was the only one who had survived. During that time, she had found a nice dry porthouse to bunk in. It was pretty cozy, filled with scavenged cushions and torn-out photos of her role models. 

 

Her favorite was the Pirate Queen Nicoletta Valentine, a Dark Orange who’d been destined for the serving staff of some perverted higher-up. But she defied her fate, instead choosing to become a vigilante of sorts. She stole from the Primaries and gave back to the Tertiaries, one of the only Secondaries who didn’t look at them as if they were scum on the bottom of her boot. Eden was fairly certain she had a crush on this magnificent woman.

 

As of right now, though, she was taking a light nap. She had spent much of the night cycle scavenging, and now she was exhausted. She was barely asleep for ten minutes when she was startled awake by the sound of a metal fuel drum falling to the ground, followed by a child cursing loudly. She poked her head out of the window, eyes widening when a young tertiary covered in dark green splatters was stumbling down the busted dock, their arms covered in fading, hand-shaped bruises. Who hurt them? Should she call the LEB? Straining her ears, she managed to catch a bit of what the kid was saying, apparently talking to themself.

 

“Could you maybe......I dunno..... _ stop  _ being so clumsy?! All the scrapes and stuff hurt!” they whined. They seemed to be male, though definitely young. His face morphed into a scowl as he got up, brushing off his shorts and leaving smears of lilac in the wake of his hands. Needless to say, these smears from his scraped palms just caused a sinking feeling in Eden’s stomach. If the green fluid wasn’t his (and she knew it wasn’t, only Pastels had that fluid, and he was  _ far  _ from a Primary, let alone a  _ Pastel), _ then that meant it was someone else’s. Someone who’d lost a large quantity, extremely near to this kid. She shuddered and focused again as he began speaking again, cursing her attention slip.

 

_ “So  _ sorry, ecx . Next time there is a bump in the path that I do not notice, how about I just use my  _ magic powers _ and smooth it out? Would that shut you up for more than five seconds?! Besides, you Huens heal quick, do you not?” another, slightly different voice snarled sarcastically, looking around. Eden squeaked and drew back into the porthouse, holding her breath and hoping he hadn’t seen her.

 

“Hey, what did you just ca—” the first voice started, only to be cut off by the other. Dimly, she wondered how that was possible with only one body.

 

“Shhshshh, shut up. I just heard something,” he said suspiciously. Footsteps came closer to where she was hiding, and Eden curled up tighter and pressed her hands over her mouth to silence any noise that might’ve escaped her. The footsteps stopped just outside the window, and it was silent for about a minute before they started moving again, getting quieter.

 

Eden started to relax, thinking he’d maybe gone away, when the kid’s stained face popped up right in front of her.

 

“Hiya! What’re you doing hiding in the dark like this?” he chirped, sounding much too innocent and cheerful. Eden yelped in surprise, banging her head against the low counter under the window. She groaned in pain, clutching her head and trying not to swear.

 

“Heheh, sorry! Did I scare ya?” he asked mischievously, his bone-chilling smirk looking both out of place and horrifically at home on his face. Eden nodded slowly, calming down a little. He wriggled his way across the counter, falling on his back in front of her with a meaty thud. He looked back at her, smirk growing as his wide lime-green eyes took in her terrified expression. Eden scooted back along the wall, trying to put some distance between her and this kid who just broke into her  _ house what the hell who DOES that?! _

 

“H-hey! You can’t just come in here like that! This is  _ my  _ house!” she stammered, trying to stand up and regain some control over the situation. The kid rose an eyebrow, pulling himself to his feet as well and turning to face her.

 

“Oh, it’s your house, huh? Weeeelllll…...I seem to be finding myself in need of a place to crash…...So get your shit and get out,” he said, starting innocently, but ending on a tone colder than ice.

 

She stiffened, outraged. Who the hell did this brat think he was?! “W-what?! I’ve lived here for  _ years, _ you can’t just co—"

 

“You lived here, huh? And yet, this is an abandoned porthouse. Ships do not dock here anymore, they all use the port in the city. If memory serves, this is not even a residential zone! How can it be  _ your  _ house?” he interrupted, dropping the childish speech patterns. Somehow, the formality was even more terrifying.

 

He was still grinning as he threateningly clenched his fists, making the emerald stains on them stand out in stark relief. She swallowed nervously, taking a step back out of reflex. Something about him screamed danger, like this little kid was a predator about to pounce. “You know what? I think that you need to learn the  _ new _ ways of this wo—” he started, taking a step towards her before his face contorted into a determined scowl. He looked like he was holding himself back, a violent trembling signifying his desire to keep moving forward.

 

He looked up, seeming younger somehow. “Run. Get as far away from me as you can. I’m sorry,” he choked out through gritted teeth, the sharp points making drops of lilac fluid bead up on his bottom lip. Eden didn’t think twice, grabbing her bolt bag and running outside. She could hear the kid screaming at nobody, before his enraged voice faded out into the distance. She rounded a corner and slowed down, panting heavily and fanning her face, desperately trying to cool herself down. Who  _ was  _ that kid?   
  



	4. MAX/ZERO | EDEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Discussion of past child abuse. Skip from "ZERO!" to "The way they treat you...." if you want to give it a miss.

**** “You  _ idiot!  _ We  _ had _ her, a lone Tertie that nobody would have missed! I thought that you understood, that you were going to  _ help  _ me!” the virus raged, slamming its battered fists against the wall repeatedly. Tears leaked out of his eyes as its mouth kept screaming profanities.

 

_ “I’m s-sorry! S-She didn’t do anything wrong, she’s just a Tertiary! I thought we were just gonna hurt the Council guys!”  _ Max sobbed, not even able to wipe away the tears running rivers down his cheeks. The virus scowled, punching the wall again and hissing when something cracked. It shook its hand, growling quietly when the joints creaked loudly in protest.

 

“Yeah? If you had not just run her off, we could have  _ gotten  _ some ‘Council guys!’ She was about to call your Law Enforcement Branch, or did you not notice?! We could have gotten them  _ all, _ and made sure  _ nobody  _ would talk!” it yelled, wiping the tears away as it finally got fed up with the blurriness. His eyes widened, more tears spilling out of them. The virus growled, rubbing the tears away harder. “Do you mind ceasing your incessant sobbing?” it snapped, trying to find a rag, something cleaner than their stained T-shirt.

 

Max swallowed convulsively, hands shaking. “S-Sorry Mr. Virus.....” he whispered, finally regaining control over his vocal chords. Its mouth twisted up into a scowl, a full-body shudder rushing through it.

 

“Ew, no. First off, do not call me  _ Mister  _ ever again, got it?” it bit out, nose wrinkled like it had just smelled something foul.

 

“S-Sorry,  _ Miss— _ ?”

 

**_“ZERO!_ ** Just......Just call me Zero,” it snarled, shaking violently. A stab of pain shot through Max’s head, making him reflexively flinch.

 

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Max yelped, arms flying up to cover his face defensively. Zero was silent, even the usual tendrils of thought completely stilled. “Z-Zero…?” Max whispered, lowering his arms slightly.

 

“Kid, were you…I mean......How many people have hurt you?” it asked bluntly, sounding uncomfortable with the very topic. Max bit his lip, thinking.

 

“U-Um, well… There were these kids at school…A teacher, two neighbors, Mr. Scott, Uncle Kaolin, and sometimes random strangers will push me into walls when I’m walking home from school. Why?” he asked, sitting on the cot pushed up against a poster-ridden wall. It sucked in a sharp breath, eyes going wide and flashing dangerously.

 

“That many—?! What the  _ hell _ makes them think that is in any way  **_okay?!”_ ** it raged, gripping the edge of the cot tightly in its fists. Max blinked, honestly confused.

 

“It’s strange? I thought it was normal. Unfair, yeah, but......normal. I mean.....I’m a Tertiary, right? So, they’re allowed to do that. Why else would they mark me?” he asked, unclenching one of his fists to rub at the dark brand on his left arm. His fingers absently traced the thick spirals, the repetitive motion soothing him, just like it always had.

 

Zero’s eyes teared up and this time, it was  _ sure _ the tears came from it. Not that it’d admit that, of course. “That is not okay. That is the exact  _ opposite  _ of okay! You are, how old? Three? Four?” it snapped, joints popping louder as its fist tightened on the edge of the cot. Max frowned, insulted.

 

“H-Hey! I’m five and a half! What’s that gotta do with anything?” he asked, trying to relax his left hand. It sighed, annoyed.

 

“The way they treat you…No, nevermind. Forget I said anything,” it started, only to cut itself off. Max was curious, but dropped the topic. Obviously, Zero didn’t want to talk anymore. He shrugged, kicking off his shoes and laying down. “Going to sleep already? It is not even dawn yet,” Zero asked, slightly surprised. Max shrugged awkwardly, yawning.

 

“Been up for a while, ‘n I’m tired. Just a  _ little _ nap won’t hurt, right?” he slurred, closing his eyes and snuggling into the fluffy pillow. He felt a little bad stealing that girl’s house, but he was too tired to do anything about it right now. He’d just stay inside if it was light when he woke up. He’d had to leave his coolant behind when he ran away, so he’d have to look tomorrow and see if that girl had any.

 

Zero sighed, pulling a fluffy stuffed toy towards it. Whatever. It’d just scheme tomorrow, no need to go outside. Maybe that girl had a hidden stash of useful stuff. Not like she’d be stupid enough to live in an abandoned area without  _ some  _ sort of supplies.

 

*****

 

Eden slid down to the ground, hiding behind a stack of oil barrels and trying to catch her breath. She’d lost everything when that kid showed up. She scowled, swinging her bag in front of her to see what she still had. She’d have to find a new base, somewhere nearby (but nowhere near that kid) in case her gang had somehow survived and tried to find her. She jumped when she heard a noise, trying to stay silent. Her face started heating up, starting to spark slightly as the stillness caused her to start overheating slightly. She peeked carefully over the drum, cursing softly and ducking back down when a pink beam of light swept her way. Why now, of all times, did there have to be a raid?! “Keep looking, Calum. He can’t be far.” Eden’s eyes widened. That was one of the officers from the raid that destroyed her gang!   
  
She bit her lip roughly, trying to hold back a growl. Her mind was flooded with rage, anger coursing through her systems. How dare they?! Dark purple fluid welled up in the cut on her lip, but she paid it no mind. “Um, Boss? I…I know this is kinda personal an’all, but…What exactly did your kid  _ do _ that warrants having half the LEB after ‘im?” asked a second voice, high, nervous, and unfamiliar.

 

“......You’re right, it  _ is _ personal.” The first voice cut off the second, Calum, Eden assumed. “But, I’ll tell you anyway. He killed my wife, but… Hhf...Don’t tell Eliam this, but I don’t think it was  _ him, _ if you get what I mean.” Calum gasped, the footsteps crunching over the gravel coming to an abrupt halt.

 

“Y-You mean…Like one of them Obari viruses?” they asked, voice trembling in fear.  _ ‘Obari…?’  _ Eden wondered, furrowing her brows. The first person stopped too, turning to face Calum.

 

“Yeah, exactly like that. You know what Max is, right?” he asked, clothes rustling as he shifted. Eden peeked carefully over the drum again, making sure to stay silent and out of sight. She couldn’t see Calum’s face, but even in the light she could recognize Mohr’s harsh glare.

 

Calum nodded, scuffing the toe of their boot on the ground. “Yeah, he’s a Class 5 Tertiary, right?” they asked softly, hesitant, like they were afraid of offending Mohr. Eden didn’t blame them. She’d been on Mohr’s bad side before, it wasn’t fun.

 

Mohr nodded. “He is. During the war, the Obari sent a virus to us, in the form of a goodwill gift. We didn’t know about it at first, but they’d included a virus they called Troy. We didn’t know about it because it only affected Tertiaries Class 3 and above, latching onto their coding so deeply that nobody knew who was who and what was safe anymore. It made them perfect spies, since nobody thought a Tertie would  _ dare _ to be a traitor. To protect all of us, the government rounded up all the Class 3’s and above, putting them away for the protection of everyone. I guess one of them couldn’t control themself, because they started a prison riot to try and cover their escape. Of course, we nipped that in the bud…” Mohr started, shifting his weight and crossing his arms, blue light glinting off his badge.

 

“Um, if you don’t mind my asking, sir… Would you mind hurrying to the point? With...With all due respect, we’re wasting time,” Calum stuttered, cringing back like they were afraid of a blow. Eden narrowed her eyes. A Flat, maybe? That’s odd, they were usually on cleanup, not chase and capture…

 

Mohr blinked, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. “Yeah, sorry. Anyway, I think that we didn’t manage to wipe out the entirety of Troy. A few strains are still lurking around, just waiting to multiply and start their senseless genocide all over again. I think that’s what happened to Max. I think he was tricked by one of these strands, and now…Now, he isn’t Max anymore,” Mohr said coldly, any trace of embarrassment wiped away as though it was a mask he could take off at will. Eden’s eyes widened, and she ducked back behind the drum as Calum started to turn around. The captain’s son  _ killed _ someone?! Wait… The captain’s son was a  _ Class 5?!  _ No wonder nobody’s heard much about his second kid…


	5. EDEN | MAX/ZERO

In every world, there are times when it's silent as the grave. Nobody moves, nobody breathes, nobody walks along the streets. In the heat of the day, one pirate used this to his advantage. A docking ship at an abandoned port, raising only the eyebrows of a young woman, huddled in shadows.

 

His ship wasn't anything special, at least, not to the untrained eye. But he knew that the dilapidated prison ship hid something  _ amazing.  _ A map to a treasure he'd been seeking for years, something that could fix his broken homeworld. But first, he had to  _ find  _ that treasure.

 

Nathaniel Koller collapsed in the shade, sparks dancing around his eyes. “Forgot how  _ hot  _ this shithole was…” he muttered, fanning his overheating face and chugging some coolant. He sighed in relief when his system started spreading the liquid, cooling off his face and neck. The warning alarms shut off, dismissed with a wave of his hand.

 

Treasure hunting could wait. For now, he needed supplies.

 

*****

 

Eden watched the ship dock, suspiciously glaring from her spot in the shade. Maybe it had supplies, but she seriously doubted it. Well, no harm in trying. She waited for the door to hiss open before making her move, darting inside quickly. She slammed the door shut again, ducking when a blade whistled by her ear. “Who the  _ hell _ do you think you are?! This is private property!” snapped an irritated voice. She had a sudden flashback to a similar encounter, not even an hour earlier. She had to bite back the urge to respond the same way the kid had. Instead, she just scowled, dodging another dagger.

 

“The name's Dove. I don't want any trouble, I just want to see if you've got any excess supplies. Some nutso kid came and stole all my shit, and I'm out of coolant,” she said sharply, slipping into a hidden alcove while the person was distracted.

 

“......What?” the voice asked. Eden raised an eyebrow, settling back against the cold metal wall.

 

“Yeah, a kid. He’s got some kinda virus or some shit, and he stole my house  _ and  _ my stuff. I’m out of coolant, and I need more,” she snapped, annoyed.

 

The other was silent for a long while, long enough that Eden felt safe enough to poke her head out. The person sighed heavily, dragging a hand down their face. “Things really have changed here, huh…?” they muttered, sheathing their dagger. Now that the threat was gone, Eden was free to study the other person in more detail.

 

The first thing she noticed was that they were a Secondary—a Dark Orange, to be precise. The second was their face. A face that'd been plastered all over her walls. “Y-you're Nicoletta Koller,” she stuttered, eyes widening. Her idol, right here, and she'd attacked her! Nicoletta winced, lip curling slightly in disgust.

 

“It's Nathaniel,” she spat, glaring darkly at Eden. Eden jumped, recognizing the expression on Nathaniel's face. After all, she used to wear it herself.

 

“S-Sorry!” she squeaked, the tips of her ears flushing darker. Nathaniel sighed, raking a hand through his hair in agitation.

 

“S’fine, you didn't know. I guess my reputation precedes me,” he said, laughing dryly. She nodded, biting her lip.

 

“Just a little,” she agreed, eyes dancing with mirth. She sighed, changing the subject. “Anyway, what're you doing back on Grudge? Didn't you swear to never come back here?” she asked, settling on the floor of the ship again. He shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

 

“Yeah, until I learned that an…  _ item _ I've been searching for is here. Something that can help me dismantle the shitty government and start over with something better. A virus, left by the Obari,” he explained, sighing. “Unfortunately, I've just used the last of my coolant, and I can't work in the day without it. Know where I could find more?” he asked. She nodded, distracted.

 

“Obari? Those are the people who started Troy! C'mon, I think I know someone who can help you. I have an emergency supply of coolant if we need it, but we shouldn't. He’s not that far away,” she said, scrambling to her feet and opening the door again. She dragged Nathaniel through it, closing it behind her and taking off through the shipyard. The pavement burned her shoes, the worn soles barely protecting her from the heat. She peeked in the window of the porthouse, smirking when she saw the kid was sleeping. “C'mon,” she said, quieter. She slipped in through the window, landing in a crouch and creeping over to the bed.

 

“A kid?” Nathaniel questioned incredulously, landing right behind her with a quiet thump. She motioned for him to be quiet before pinning the kid with a blanket and covering his mouth. His eyes snapped open and he immediately started to struggle and cry out.

 

“Shut up, pipsqueak! The LEB is out looking for you, so unless you wanna end up on Incarterus, I suggest you shut your trap,” she snarled, eyes flashing dangerously. He clammed up with a small squeak, looking up at her fearfully.

 

*****

 

Max had been having a nice dream before he was rudely awakened. His entire family was there, Calliope included. His skin was dark orange, and the dark spiral he'd grown used to was gone. His mother had just been giving him a hug when he was shaken awake. Before he was fully alert, he noticed something pinning his arms down and immediately started to struggle and cry for help. 

 

“Shut up, pipsqueak! The LEB is out looking for you, so unless you wanna end up on Incarterus, I suggest you shut your trap,” a familiar voice snarled, though it was rougher than he remembered. He shut up, ignoring Zero demanding to know what was going on. “Good boy. Now, lemme talk to that virus of yours. An..... _ acquaintance  _ of mine wants to talk to it,” she said, removing her hand from over Max's mouth.

 

“How do you know about Zero?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. Eden raised an eyebrow.

 

“Zero?” she prodded. He shook his head frantically, pressing his lips together in a thin line. She rolled her eyes, leaning off the bed and rummaging around for something underneath. She came back up with a sharp knife, pressing it harshly against his throat. “I've had a really shitty day so far, thanks to you. I'm not in the mood for games, so let me talk to the virus,” she said coldly, barely flinching as a thin line of lilac from Max's neck stained the edge of her blade. It growled, glaring at her.

 

“Who's playing games?” it snarled, itching to cross its arms defensively. They stared at each other for a long while, before it finally cracked. “I am Zero, what do you want?” it sighed, knowing it was painted into a corner.

 

Nathaniel jumped in here, spooking Eden with the suddenness of his voice. “I need to know everything that  _ you _ know about the virus left here by the Obari five years ago,” he said, crossing his arms. Zero stiffened, eyes flashing a bit brighter.

 

“Why do you need to know that information?” it asked cautiously, guard up. Nathaniel smirked, leaning back in his chair.

 

“Because the Obari got the closest to destroying the Council out of everyone who’s tried in the last hundred years.”


	6. ZERO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: semi-graphic abuse of a minor. the entire "interrogation" with nathaniel and max/zero. skip from “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” to "No! That's not okay!" if you want to give it a miss.

It was silent for a good minute before Zero burst out laughing. “If  _ they _ failed, what makes you think that  _ you  _ can do any better?” it sneered. “My creators had an entire military force, my planet’s best codeworkers,  _ and  _ the support of the people behind them. All  _ you  _ have are two Terties, a bound virus, and yourself, a disgraced outlaw. I hope you have a good plan, because I do  _ not _ like your odds.” It struggled to sit up, mentally cursing Max’s weak body.

 

Nathaniel scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I have a trump card. Now, are you gonna tell me what you know or not? Because if not, I’m sure I can find a way to… _ convince _ you,” he said, eyes narrowing and flashing in warning. It scowled, baring its teeth at him.

 

“You lay a finger on this body and I will _destroy you,”_ it hissed, glaring dangerously at him. It didn’t look too threatening, considering it was currently wearing the face of a five-year-old and trapped in a ratty blanket. Nathaniel snorted, drawing a thin-bladed dagger from his boot. Quicker than Zero could track, he flung it towards its face, just barely missing the tip of its nose. It drew back, his eyes wide and full of tears. The knife sunk a few inches into the wall with a solid thump, quivering slightly with the force of the impact. “W-What the **_hell?!_** Why are you trying to kill me?!” they gasped, tears spilling down their cheeks as its eyes snapped over to look at Nathaniel.

 

“I wasn’t. If I was trying to  _ kill _ you, you’d already be  _ dead. _ That was a warning.” He crossed one leg over his knee, steepling his fingers and leaning forward. “Now, are you going to tell me what I want to know, or do I need to  _ persuade _ you a bit more?”   
  
“You would not kill us. I have information you want, information you cannot get if we are dead,” it said, faking confidence, though they were still worried. He was threatening to break already, causing it to have to squash down a wave of sickening fear. His worry and terror only grew when Nathaniel grinned wildly, his eyes narrowing and flashing dangerously.

 

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

 

*****   
  


“S-Stop! Please,  _ stop it!” _

 

Max was a mess, tears streaming down his cheeks and mixing with fluid from various, now-healed, nicks and cuts scattered across his skin. Eden had left the room a while ago, after securing the blanket with tape and rope until his arms were pinned to his chest in a mockery of a hug. Zero was starting to get really tired of being restrained, this being the second time in just as many days. It scowled, struggling to free itself from the blanket.

 

“You can make it stop, if you tell me what I want to know,” Nathaniel said. He seemed to be enjoying this way too much, in Zero’s opinion. Max cried out as Nathaniel’s knife nicked his face again, this time right under his left eye. It healed over sluggishly, his self-repair slowed by the sheer amount of fluid he’d lost.

 

“P-Please! I don’t know what you want, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please stop hurting me!” he sobbed, trying to squirm away. Nathaniel scowled and grabbed him by the neck, slamming them into the wall by the window.

 

“You  _ do _ know what I want, so stop fucking  _ lying  _ to me!” he roared, pressing his hand into their throat. Max coughed, eyes bugging out slightly. It started to panic, struggling and kicking in a futile attempt to free them.

 

“Stop it,  _ stop it! _ He does not have anything to do with this, leave him alone!” it wheezed, wincing as more tears spilled out of his eyes, washing away the fluid stains on their face. Nathaniel let go, dropping them to the floor with a loud thump. It coughed, gasping and trying to get their system back down to normal temperatures.

 

“What do you mean, ‘he’? There’s only one of you, isn’t there?” Nathaniel asked, crossing his arms. It shook its head, curling up against the wall.

 

“T-Two. There’s.....There’s two. They do not call me a virus with no reason…” it whispered, voice hoarse. “This body…it was not originally mine.” Nathaniel’s eyes widened and his hands started to shake. The knife dropped to the floor, clattering loudly in the stillness of the day.

 

“Y-You mean…” he whispered, eyes wide and unseeing as he stared at the child in front of him. “I-I’ve been hurting a  _ kid?”  _ Max flinched, nodding.

 

“I-I’m sorry Mister, I  _ tried  _ to tell you but you wouldn’t listen to me and I thought it’d be better if I stayed quiet because if you wanted to hurt me then I shouldn’t stop you because even if you’re a Secondary you’re still better than me… I shouldn’t have complained… I’m sorry…” he whimpered, hiding his face in his knees. “I-If it makes you feel better, you can keep going. I-I won’t cry anymore, promise!” he said, looking up at Nathaniel with watery eyes. It looked away, scowling.

 

“No! That is not the proper response! Stand up for yourself!” it snapped, gritting its teeth. Nathaniel dropped to his knees next to the knife, the noise making them flinch. “Look, if you promise not to hurt him anymore, I will tell you the information you want to know. Deal?” it said, chancing a glance at him. He nodded, biting his lip harshly. It sighed. “Alright. Can you get us out of this blanket first? Our fingers are losing circulation.” He nodded again, shuffling closer and loosening the knots on the rope. Zero sighed, rolling its shoulders as the tight confines of the blanket loosened. “What do you want to know first?”

 

*****

  
The screaming stopped. She let out a breath, sagging against the wall. She forcefully shoved away memories of _that_ day, rubbing her eyes and glancing out of the back window again. The sun was fully risen now, the heat baking the dark pavement outside and causing shimmering heat waves to distort her view. She closed the curtains, clicking on the fan. She didn’t have enough extra coolant for three people, so they’d have to hide in here for the day.

 

She just hoped that they didn’t end up killing each other before nightfall.


	7. NATHANIEL

“Is that everything? I tire of looking at you.” Nathaniel frowned, but nodded, putting his tablet down. “Good. Now, can you please get rid of the rest of this blanket?” Nathaniel burst out laughing, slapping his knee like Zero had just told the best joke he’d ever heard.

 

“Not a chance, kid. No way in  _ hell _ am I letting you loose, not when you’re dangerous enough to warrant having half the LEB after you, dangerous enough that they’re searching for you  _ after dawn.” _ He glanced over at Zero, shaking his head. “I don’t care that you have the body of a five-year-old. I’m not untying you.”   
  
Zero scowled, shifting its arms. “It was worth a shot.” Nathaniel stood, crossing over to the sheet-covered door in the back of the room. He poked his head out, spotting Eden leaning against a shadowy wall and watching the sunrise.

 

“Hey, I’m....sorry you had to hear that. What’s the plan now?” he asked, coming fully into the room. She shrugged, still glaring out of the window even as the outside was bathed in a harsh red light.

 

“I dunno. Wait for night, I suppose. I don’t have enough coolant for the three of us, and I don’t like the idea of letting a  _ kid _ die of Superheat, even if the kid’s infected.” She gave him a pointed look, the venom in her eyes making him flinch. He held her gaze though, earning a quirked eyebrow.

 

“.......Right. So first order of business is raiding a store for supplies. It’ll definitely be harder at night, but we don’t have much of a choice. I’m fairly certain that none of us can just stroll down the street and buy enough coolant for all three of us, not without raising unwanted suspicion. I’m a wanted criminal, the kid’s a fugitive, and, no offense, you’re a Class Three.” She rolled her eyes, looking away from him again.

 

“Whatever. I want to get moving soon, though. It’s not safe here anymore, there were Reds poking around last night and they almost found this place,” she said, frowning. He raised an eyebrow at her tone, her voice having dropped almost three octaves. She seemed to realize this as well, clearing her throat and pushing away from the wall. “They won’t recognize me on sight. Let me grab some cash and I’ll go stock up.” She stalked away from the wall, kicking open a chest in the corner and rummaging through it. She pulled out a pair of scuffed protective glasses and a metal flask, bumping the lid of the chest closed with her hip as she turned around.

 

“Wait, you’re going _ now?  _ What about the kid?” he asked, tilting his head. She just rolled her eyes, pushing past him and flipping the lid of the flask open. She chugged the liquid inside, pushing on the glasses before opening the door. Almost immediately, heat started rolling into the house.

 

“Behave. If either of you is dead when I get back, I’m killing the other one myself,” she snarled, glaring at the two of them before scooping up a bag and exiting the house, slamming the door shut behind her. Zero and Nathaniel traded glances, one decidedly more hostile than the other.

 

“I could kill you both and leave in no time, you know.” Nathaniel snorted, settling on the bed and lying down on the ratty pillow.

 

“I know you could. That’s why you’re still restrained.” It scoffed, turning away and pouting. Nathaniel’s heart clenched at the childish action, the kid’s face reminding him of his little cousin for a split second. Idly, he wondered how the kid was getting on. It was past time for his Pigmenting, right?  _ ‘I wonder what he turned out to be......Probably a Red, like his dad. That kid always had a strong sense of justice.......Pity his sister turned out like me, though.’ _

 

They sat in silence for another ten minutes before Max couldn’t stand it anymore. There’s only so many times you can count the number of cracks in the floor tiles before your mind craves more stimulation. “What’re ya thinking about?” Nathaniel looked over at him again, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Not the virus?” he asked, not actually answering anything. Max nodded, paused, shook his head, paused again, before shrugging.

 

“It’s not talking right now. I think it’s pouting. Don’t change the subject! What’re you thinking about?!” Max puffed up his cheeks, glaring up at Nathaniel as his face turned a muddy violet in his frustration. Nathaniel bit his lip, turning away.

 

“......My cousin.” He sat up, draping his arm over his knees and staring at the far wall. “I’ve been away for a long time, and the last time I saw my family was far too long ago. I missed my littlest cousin’s Pigmenting, and I was wondering what he turned out as…” He sighed, glancing at Max out of the corner of his eye. “You’re probably the same age as he’d be right now.” Max frowned, looking at the floor.

 

“What was his name…?” he asked, a sinking suspicion settling heavily in his gut.

 

“Can’t see any harm in telling you, I guess. His name’s Max, my Mada was his mom’s sibling. I left before his Pigmenting, so I couldn’t tell you what he was for the life of me. Probably a Red though, like his dad…” Nathaniel smiled fondly, missing the horrified expression stealing over Max’s face. He stilled in his blanket, the bonds suddenly feeling so tight he couldn’t move, despite having slack in the ropes. He stared at the floor, eyes shadowed by his bangs. They were glowing brightly, setting his khaki shorts awash in a weak emerald light.

 

“W-Was.....Was his last name Mohr…?” he asked, voice just as weak as his glow. Nathaniel nodded, narrowing his eyes at him.

 

“How did you know…?” Max swallowed nervously, trembling slightly.

 

“B-Because…Your cousin sounds like…like me,” he whispered, shaking harder. Nathaniel scoffed, looking away again.

 

“Bullshit. Things like that only happen in bad fiction. You’re not my cousin. My cousin’s parents were two Primaries, there’s no way he’d be a  _ Five,”  _ he sneered, lip curling in disgust. Max flinched, falling silent.

 

“How dare you…” it seethed, clenching and unclenching its trapped fists. It looked up to glare at him, the visible bits of its iris nearly completely blocked out by bright white binary code. “How _DARE_ YOU?!” It struggled to stand, scootching up the wall as it wobbled to its feet. “There is _nothing_ wrong with being a Class Five. And, in fact, I think you may be wrong in your convictions, _Nicky.”_

 

Nathaniel froze, face paling rapidly. “How do you know that name,  _ virus?” _ he hissed, body tensed and fists clenched. It laughed cruelly, a dark smirk marring their youthful features.

 

“I know _everything_ he knows. His memories are _my_ memories, his experiences _my_ experiences..... I know things he himself has forgotten, shoved away into a darkened corner of his mind, left to rot.” It looked up at him, eyes alight with glee and malice. “Face it, this kid is your forgotten cousin.” Its smirk grew wider, and it started to cackle hysterically. “Good luck trying to talk to him _now,_ now that he knows what his beloved Nicky _really_ thinks about him!”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can't leave you two alone for a goddamn minute, can i
> 
> ~eden, probably


	8. EDEN

Eden wrinkled her nose as the harsh sun beat down on her exposed shoulders. Sometimes, she hated this planet. She wanted to leave, go somewhere else, where the air was cooler and the color of her fluid didn’t matter. She’d read about planets where people branded their skin for fun, for fashion, and didn’t have to worry about not being able to live freely because of it. Planets where the sun was smaller, farther, and didn’t bake the streets to several thousand degrees hotter than the temperature of her core. She sighed, lost in a dream about being able to be herself, living without fear with the only person she’d ever loved.

 

But dreaming doesn’t help much in the way of walking safely, and this held true even now. As she left the shipyard and turned down the familiar path to the nearest coolant supplier, she let her mind wander. She was only brought back to herself by an impact that sent her sprawling. Her protective glasses slipped off her face, skittering over the sidewalk. On instinct, she clamped her eyes shut to protect them while she hunted around for the glasses. A large hand touched her face, poking her cheek with a cool wire. She snatched it back, putting the glasses back on and opening her eyes carefully, blinking to adjust to the sudden light. “Thank you…”

 

She looked up, raising an eyebrow when she saw a large Flat Purple leaning over her, giving her a small smile. Eden pushed herself to her feet, hissing when her palms were burned on the overheated surface of the pavement. “It was no problem, hun. What’re you doing out at this time of day anyway? Usually, people are sleeping at this hour.” The Purple’s voice was rich and smooth, like the soothing tone of a radio announcer.

 

“I could ask you the same thing. It’s none of your business why I’m out right now.” Eden tried to push her way past the Purple, but they just moved with her, continuing to block her path. Eden scowled, glaring at them as her eyes flashed in warning. “Get out of my way.”

 

“Alright, darling, I’m going.” They moved to brush past her, but they said something else, something Eden automatically strained to hear. “I know what you did for those Tertiary children, the ones in the raid last month. Thank you.” Eden stiffened, grabbing their wrist and slamming them against the wall. They were at least a foot taller than her, but that didn’t deter her anger.

 

“How the _hell_ do you know about that?!” she hissed, glaring at them. She shook them roughly, eyes flashing a muted lavender behind the lenses of her glasses. They blinked, not even trying to fight back. “C’mon, spill! That shit was supposed to be a _secret,_ how d’you know about it?!”

 

“It’s only a secret to those in charge, darling. I’ll tell you more, but we should get out of the street. The walls have ears, you know.” They smiled at her gently, keeping their lips closed. “Come, follow me. There’s some people I’d like you to meet.”

 

*****

 

“Alright, I’m here. Now _explain.”_ Eden crossed her arms, glaring at the Purple. They shushed her, knocking on the rusting door carefully. A panel slid open, and someone looked them up and down before opening the door.

 

“P! You’re back!” A short person with reddish-pink skin hopped down from the box she was standing on, holding out her arms to the Purple. Eden noted the brand on her forearm, the same as the kid’s.

 

 _‘A Class 5, then.’_ She peeked around “P”, eyes narrowing slightly before lighting up in recognition.

 

“P holy crap you brought her? How’d you manage that?! No, no, wait. Get inside first, then do introductions.” She moved out of the way, kicking the boxes aside to allow P and Eden entrance. The door closed behind them, locking with a loud click. Eden looked around. It looked like a storage cellar, but the boxes were all pushed up against the walls to make room for tables. Fifteen or so people were draped over all of the available surfaces in the room, a veritable rainbow of color. Eden raised an eyebrow, but didn’t speak. The Five bounded to the center of the room, clearing her throat. “Welcome to the Resistance. I’m Kyla, Class 5, she pronouns.” She smiled, tucking a strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear.

 

“Dove, Class 3, she pronouns,” Eden said shortly, partially working on autopilot. She was still dumbfounded over finding out that something like this resistance actually _existed._ Kyla’s grin grew wider, and she motioned to everyone in the room. P chuckled, stepping forward.

 

“I’m Peyton. Class 2, they pronouns.” Eden blinked. Sure enough, peeking out above the collar of their shirt was the top of a brand. She flushed slightly, embarrassed.

 

Introductions continued like this, until the last person in the room introduced himself (“Jace, Class 4, he pronouns.”). Peyton clapped their hands once, settling down on a box and inviting Eden to do the same. “Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here.” Eden shrugged.

 

“I figure it has something to do with the raid, since you mentioned it on the way over,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall. Peyton nodded, lacing their fingers together.

 

“Yes, exactly. Basically, we’re trying to overthrow the Council. We’re all tired of this system, where you’re pushed down and treated like scum for just having a different internal fluid color. Hell, even for having a slightly different _skin_ color!” They clenched their fists, glaring at the floor. “What you and Jayden did was an inspiration to us. It showed us that we aren’t the only ones fighting.” Eden’s eyes widened, and she pressed her lips together tightly at the mention of Jay.

 

Those wounds were still too fresh to talk about. Instead, she focused on the last part of that sentence. “So what do you want with _me?_ It’s not like Jay’s here, he’s still stuck in Incarterus,” she said, trying her hardest to look indifferent.

 

“Your help. We want you to join us, to help us in changing the world. Just _your_ help would make a world of difference.” Eden sighed through her nose, leaning her head back against the wall. It sounded too good to be true, honestly. But, to be fair, her life had pretty much been something out of some fucked-up storybook for the last few days. She grumbled, but looked at Peyton again.

 

_‘I’m going to regret this.’_

 

“I’m in.”  



	9. ZERO/MAX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for: blood, threats from a parental figure

Zero’s laughter choked off abruptly when the door was kicked in and slammed against the wall. “FREEZE! Hands in the air!” Grant roared, leveling his blaster at Zero. It could faintly hear Nathaniel curse behind it, but ignored him for now.

 

It rolled its eyes, glancing pointedly at the blanket. “I would love to, but I seem to be a little  _ tied up  _ at the moment!” it snarled, glaring at him. It shifted its stance, ready to make a quick escape at the first sign of an opening. Grant scowled, not lowering his blaster.

 

“I take it you’re the virus.” It wasn’t a question. Zero rolled its eyes again, baring its teeth.

 

“No, I’m the fucking toothstealer. Of course I’m the virus, you jvjrzopa ! What, were you expecting your  _ darling  _ son?” it snapped, thoroughly fed up with Huen adults. They were all stupid and redundant, not like its  _ glorious _ Creators.

 

Said “darling son” chose that moment to make an appearance. Zero found itself shoved to the back of their mind, forced to watch but not act as Max stumbled with the sensation of being in control again. Nathaniel crept into the back room of the porthouse, watching from behind the curtain. “D-Dad...?” Max asked, voice hoarse, but hopeful. Grant’s eyes widened, and he lowered his blaster slightly.

 

“Max...?” he whispered, hesitating for a second before his face hardened again. He raised his blaster again, shaking his head slightly. “No, you can’t be. This is another trick,” he growled, glaring at Max. He pressed a button on the side, the blaster starting to power up with a low whine. Max gasped quietly, tears welling up in his eyes.

 

“N-No way....” he whispered, staring at Grant with a betrayed expression. His tears twisted into anger when Zero pushed its way back into control. It glared at Nathaniel, frozen in place by the threat of being shot.

 

“Don’t just stand there, cut us loose!” it snapped, glancing back at Grant. The whine grew louder, the power gauge on the side of the blaster nearly a quarter full at this point.

 

“No way! I told you before and I’ll tell you again, there’s no way I’m letting you go, so stop asking!” Nathaniel snapped, keeping his eyes trained on Calum. Zero scoffed, clenching its fists to try and keep them from going numb.

 

“You think that they plan to just take  _ us _ and leave  _ you _ alone?! By the Creators, you are the  _ dumbest  _ person I’ve ever met if you think _ that  _ is what they planned! You’re an outlaw, there is no way they would let you out alive!” It grit its teeth, eyes flashing brightly. “If you do not cut me loose right now, we are  _ all  _ going to die!”

 

Nathaniel made a wordless grumble, eyeing the power gauge before beating the heels of his hands against his head and growling. He yanked a knife out of his belt, crossing the room in three large steps and cutting the ropes. He handed Zero the knife, pulling another knife out of his belt in case it needed backup. It flexed its hands, shaking them out and taking the knife, a wide grin stretching from ear to ear.

 

Grant cursed loudly, reflexively firing at the two of them. Zero managed to dodge, but Nathaniel, back turned, didn’t. The bolt grazed his arm, singing a hole through his sleeve. He yelped loudly, jumping back and shaking out his arm. Luckily, the wound didn’t break skin, instead just causing a large, shiny burn. Even as he patted out the last smouldering embers, his nanobots were already almost done healing him.

 

Zero lunged at Calum, slashing out with the knife. Almost immediately, a spurt of cyan gushed out of the cut on their neck. They dropped to the ground, tearing away their uniform ascot and pressing it against the wound, eyes wide and panicked. Zero turned to Grant, still grinning. It advanced on him slowly, shaking a few excess drops of fluid off the blade.

 

Then, for the second time in just as many days, Max forcibly stopped it from attacking. “NO, STOP! Don’t do it Zero, that’s my dad! Don’t take my dad away too!” he yelled, tears streaming out of his eyes. It growled, taking a half step forward.

 

“Quit trying to stop me, ecx. He is trying to hurt us—!”

 

“NO! I won’t let you, not again! Dad, please! Run!” he begged, looking up at Grant and holding his right wrist in a death grip. Grant didn’t move, instead training the blaster on them again. Max bit his lip, lilac tears spilling over his cheeks. “Dad... It’ll hurt you....Please, why aren’t you  _ listening _ to me?!”

 

“I have my orders. I’m to bring you in, no matter the cost. If that means I have to bring you back in a body bag, then so be it.”

 

_ “I TOLD YOU, MNOJCX ECX _ _! You are a Class 5! No matter how ‘good’ of a person he is, he has still been brainwashed to  _ **_hate_ ** _ you! There is no changing his mind, so kill him before he kills  _ **_you!”_ **

 

Max bit his lip harder, tuning out the screaming in his head. “Dad... Why are you doing this? I thought.....I’m your son, right? You said you’d love me forever! So,  _ why?!” _ he sobbed, wiping his eyes roughly.

 

Grant bit his lip, eyes steely. The power gauge was at 30% now, and rising faster, recovering from the earlier shot. “You stopped being my son the day you accepted that  _ thing  _ into your head. No family of mine plays happy host to a damn Obari virus,” he snarled, eyes cold and angry.

 

Max felt his world shatter, like everything he’d held as true had suddenly fallen to pieces around him. He froze, gaping at Grant as more tears rolled down his cheeks. Eventually, as all things must do, they stopped. He closed his mouth and looked away, rubbing his thumb over the flat side of the knife. “Is that.......really how you feel...? Heh.....Heheheheh.....I guess Zero was right all along....” He looked up at Grant, the hope in his eyes completely extinguished, even as he smiled humorlessly. “You really  _ don’t  _ love me.” He turned away, shaking his head. “Do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.”

 

Zero found itself shoved into control without so much as a by your leave, causing it to feel just a sliver of the disorientation Max had to get used to. It growled low in its throat, the feral noise sounding positively surreal in the high, childish voice it was stuck with. “Leave.” When Grant didn’t move, it lashed out with the knife, slashing open his arm. “I said  _ LEAVE!  _ If you want to get you and your coworker out alive I suggest you leave within the next thirty seconds, because if I see you after that I won’t hesitate to kill you.” Grant took the hint, grabbing Calum by the back of their shirt and dragging them out of the porthouse, holding his wounded arm away from his clothing so it wouldn’t stain his shirt.

 

He slipped behind a stack of scrap metal, dropping Calum and wrapping his arm tightly in his ascot, praying that the violet wouldn’t show through the deep red fabric. “C’mon, Calum. We have to get back to HQ.” Calum gurgled quietly, looking up at him. Grant sighed, biting his lip. “I know it hurts, just keep pressure on it. It’ll heal soon. We can rest here for a bit, but... We need to tell the boss.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^)
> 
> TRANSLATIONS:
> 
> Orbari:
> 
> jvjrzopa - cockshit  
> ecx - kid  
> mnojcx - stupid
> 
> Pronunciations:
> 
> jvjrzopa -> jiv-jer-ZOH-pah  
> ecx -> ECKS  
> mnojcx -> me-NO-jicks


	10. ZERO

It couldn’t feel anything. Not from Max at least, which was worrying. Not that it would admit it, but it had actually become pretty fond of the little brat. Unfortunately, Eden opened the door just as it was preparing to try and talk to him. “Hey, I got the coolant.” She looked haunted, brooding, even. Like she’d just heard bad news that she had already accepted.

 

“Did something happen?” Nathaniel asked, sheathing his knife and taking one of the barrels from Eden. She shook her head, stopped, then shrugged.

 

“I don't wanna talk about it right now,” she said gruffly, dragging two more barrels inside. Once the last barrel crossed the threshold, she closed the door and sat down on the bed with a huff. “Anyway, Nathaniel. You said you had a plan?” she prompted. He nodded, pulling up a holomap from his tablet.

 

“Yeah. When I left Grudge, I took an old transport ship. While poking around, I found this map cartridge hidden behind a stack of boxes, only labelled ‘Trojan’. It led me back here, and it updated again as I was talking to the virus,” he said. Zero sneered, crossing its arms.

 

“We have a name, you know...” it muttered, but otherwise didn’t interrupt. Nathaniel glared at it, before continuing. He flicked his fingers, and the map zoomed in on a certain star system.

 

“This is the new update. A planet in the Cydegi system, near Incarterus.  From what I could find on it, it’s an abandoned planet, populated only by ruins made out of what looks like some kind of rough metal-substitute and some strange, opaque tubing. The Trojan, or at least a clue to it, is somewhere on that planet.” He minimized the map, turning his tablet’s screen off. “Any questions?”

 

“Yeah, how are we gonna get all the way to Cydegi? That’s at least a parsec from here, if not more. We’d need supplies, for one,” Eden said, crossing her arms. Max tilted his head, biting his lip.

 

“We saw a store last night on the way here. We could get stuff from there,” he said, voice jarringly flat and emotionless. It frowned, glaring at the wall in front of them. That talk had to come as soon as possible.

 

“He’s right. It is only a small store, but I am sure that there are others nearby, if necessary,” it added, plopping down on the floor.

 

“The ship needs fuel. Think there’s any around here?” Nathaniel asked. Eden shook her head.

 

“Not in this building, at least. I’ve been living here for at least a year, if not more. We— **_I_ ** cleared it out ages ago, but I don’t remember what I did with the fuel. I did see some drums earlier though, after the kid ran me out,” she said, leaning back against the wall. It winced, but otherwise didn’t react.

 

“Do you remember where you saw them? I’ll need to check, but if we already have some then all we have to do is move it to the ship,” Nathaniel said, eyebrow quirking up slightly. She shrugged, closing her eyes.

 

“Maybe. Follow me, and tie the kid back up. The knife’s worrying me,” she said, stretching her arms and standing. It scowled, but since he made no protest, it didn’t either. Nathaniel nodded, taking the knife and putting it on a nearby crate before grabbing the fallen ropes. He tied their hands behind their back tightly, attaching the slack to the bolted-down leg of the cot.

 

“We’ll be back soon, then you can show us where you saw the store. Until then, sit tight.” Zero scowled, but nodded anyway.

 

“Okay. We hadn’t planned on going anywhere,” it snarled, but its words fell on deaf ears, as the door was already closing. It sighed, relaxing from the confident, aggressive posture it had been wearing since they had run away from Max’s home the night before. “Hey, kid.” Nothing. It scowled, shifting slightly.  _ “Kid.  _ Come on. I know that you are still awake.”

 

_ “Shut up, Zero. I don’t wanna talk right now.” _

 

“Finally! Tough shit ecx, because you have nowhere else to go and we have nothing but time.”

 

_ “No. Not doing it. What’s there to talk about?”  _ It scowled, glaring daggers at the wall.

 

_ “Zkdw'v wkhuh wr wdon derxw _ _?!  _ There is a  _ lot  _ to talk about! What the hell was that, before your dad left?!” it snapped, rapidly losing its patience.

 

_ “What? I thought you’d be  _ **_happy.”_ ** His lips twisted up in a sneer, baring his teeth.  _ “You’ve been telling me all along they don’t love me. In fact....When did you infect me? It couldn’t have been last night.”  _ It swallowed, looking away and frowning guiltily.

 

“I infected you about a year ago. You have been my host ever since you messed with that old shell at the school,” it said stiffly.

 

_ “That’s what I thought. I remember, you know. That morning, when I went to bed, I had a nightmare. So I went to my mama, but she didn’t want me. She didn’t hug me, didn’t touch me... Didn’t even come near me. I heard you then. Whispering to me....” _

 

It growled, feeling way out of its depth. “S-So what? What does that have to do with this?!” it snapped, although it knew very well what Max was getting at.

 

_ “YOU TOLD ME MY PARENTS HATED ME! I WAS FOUR AND A HALF YEARS OLD, JUST BARELY PIGMENTED, AND YOU TOLD ME MY PARENTS  _ **_HATED_ ** _ ME!”  _ Zero winced, shoving back tears.  _ “What, are you feeling  _ **_guilty?_ ** _ I thought you were a ‘big bad Obari virus’, what would  _ **_you_ ** _ care about some Huen brat?!”  _ He laughed, bitter, wild, and loud. The sound echoed off the walls of the porthouse, filling the still air until it was the only thing it could hear.

 

“MNIJ LW ! Please, kid,  _ Max,  _ I’m sorry! Just, stop it!” it pleaded, not above begging if it saved their sanity. Although, it feared that it was already too late to save his.

 

_ “Truth hurts, doesn’t it  _ **_Zero?!_ ** _ C’mon, face what you did wrong! YOU MADE ME THIS WAY! THIS IS  _ **_YOUR FAULT!_ ** _ SO  _ **_OWN IT!”_ ** The laughter grew louder, even as tears rolled down their cheeks. It honestly wasn’t sure what was its doing and what was his, at this point.

 

It just wanted it all to  _ stop. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orbari:
> 
> ecx - kid  
> Zkdw'v wkhuh wr wdon derxw - what's there to talk about  
> Mnij lw - stop it
> 
> Pronunciations:
> 
> ecx -> ECKS
> 
> Zkdw'v -> zik-dee-wIV  
> wkhuh -> wik-HUH  
> wr -> wir  
> wdon -> wih-DON  
> derxw -> der-ZEEW
> 
> mnij -> mih-niJH  
> lw -> LEEW


	11. NATHANIEL

“I think I saw the drums over here,” Eden said, picking her way through scrap metal and bits of rubber. She sighed in relief when the burning on her shoulders started to fade, signalling night was coming. They’d been up all day, and she hadn’t slept for almost two. Sweetflakes kept her going, but she needed some real rest soon. Nathaniel followed behind her, oddly silent in the stillness of the dusk. “Hey, you still back there?” she called, squinting down one pathway through the junk to try and see if it was the right way or not.

 

“Yeah, just....thinking about something the brat told me,” he said, sighing and running a hand through his hair. He joined Eden at the crossroads, looking down the pathways. His light filter was just enough to block out the dying light from the sun, allowing him to see just a bit better than Eden. “I see drums this way,” he added, touching her left shoulder. She jumped, something haunted passing over her face for half a second before it was gone. She nodded, going down the left path. Nathaniel followed behind, glad she hadn’t pried. It was nice to finally meet someone who respected privacy.

 

“So, what’d the brat tell you, anyway?” Or not. He sighed again, this one grumpier than the last.

 

“It doesn’t matter.”

 

“It does!”   
  
He grit his teeth, clenching his fists. The smooth metal of his joints threatened to pop out of the thin membrane covering them, straining so hard the pressure turned his dark orange skin near-white. “It’s none of your business! Just butt out, would you?!” he snarled, baring his teeth. She froze, nearly accepting the challenge, but thought better of it. She looked away, shoulders tense.

 

“Sorry I asked. This way,” she said, voice now flat and emotionless. Guilt flooded his system, but he ignored it. She shouldn’t have been asking so many questions. The silence was tense as they picked their way over scattered debris and broken pieces of the concrete.

 

“Dove, look......I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” he muttered, picking at a fraying thread on his sleeve. She glanced back at him, but didn’t say anything. Her eyes flashed in warning, but he was otherwise ignored.

 

“We’re here. This is where I hid last night. Feel free to look around the barrels,” she said shortly, standing off to the side and crossing her arms. Nathaniel frowned, feeling like he should say something. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to want to hear anything he had to say, so he wisely closed his mouth and began looking through the barrels.

 

It was well into the night when he finally finished looking through the drums, so late that he actually started to get a little concerned. Either those LEB officers hadn’t made it back, or there was a squad lying in wait for them to let their guards down. He glanced over at Eden, frowning slightly when he noticed she was asleep. That wouldn’t be good for her, even if she does need the rest. Speaking from experience, if she accidentally switched over to a diurnal schedule, it’d be hell to get back to the proper nocturnal one. 

 

He set aside the last drum of fuel, standing up and stretching before walking over to her. “Hey, Dove. Dove, wake up,” he said softly, shaking her shoulder gently. She winced, eyes blinking open slowly. She peered at him with half-open eyes, suddenly jerking away as her lilac glow flared brighter.

 

“W-What the hell?!” she snarled, voice deep and rough with sleep. He blinked, holding up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

  
“Calm down, I was just waking you up. We need to head back soon. I finished looking through the drums, these ones over here are the fuel I need.” He indicated a group of drums sat aside from the rest, depressingly small. His ship wasn’t exactly fuel efficient, and he hoped that this would be able to get them all the way to the unnamed Cydegi planet. The only way to refuel once they reached Cydegi was to break into Incarterus, and he  _ really  _ wasn’t looking forward to that.

 

“Keep them here for now, we’ll grab them later. For now, we need to head back. I don’t trust that kid as far as I could throw him,” she grumbled, straightening up and cracking her neck. Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

 

“Is it really so bad that he’s infected? I mean, the Obari are gone now, right?” he asked, dusting his hands off on his pants. She scoffed, looking at him incredulously.

 

“Of  _ course  _ it is! Look, do you even  _ know _ how bad the Obari screwed everything up?” she snapped, fingers digging into her arm. He gave her a flat look, unimpressed.

 

“Been a fugitive for three years, remember? Didn’t exactly keep up with the news on this scrap heap.” She shook her head, grumbling under her breath.

 

“Long story short, they destroyed us. Tertiaries weren’t well-liked even before their viruses, but we weren’t being hunted down like animals, at least. After the incident at Hangman, the Council decided that it was too dangerous to let Tertiaries live, in case it happened again. We got better at hiding, but.....they got better at finding, too.” She sounded bitter, her gaze distant, like she was remembering something terrible. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. The point is, since that kid’s infected, we can’t trust him. Especially since we don’t know how much control he actually has.”

 

Nathaniel sighed, biting his lip guiltily as the virus’ acidic words raced through his memory.

 

_ [“Good luck trying to talk to him  _ **_now,_ ** _ now that he knows what his beloved Nicky  _ **_really_ ** _ thinks about him!”] _

 

“Max.” Eden looked at him, confused.

 

“Come again?”   
  
“His name. It’s Max. He was...... _ is,  _ my cousin. He’s only 5. His dad tried to kill him earlier, even though the last time I saw him, they were thick as thieves. His mom is a Pastel, who believes way too much in what the Council says about Tertiaries. He has a sister, three years older than him. When he was young, he wanted to be a hero.” Eden looked away again, lips pressed in a tight, thin line.

 

“Why are you telling me all this...?” she asked quietly, nails digging into her skin harder, and not for the first time, she wished she had some sort of claw, or at least  _ longer _ nails, to distract her from the confusing emotions with physical pain. Nathaniel sighed, raking a hand through his hair and swallowing tears.

 

“To show you he was a Huen first, a  _ child  _ first. He wasn’t born infected, and he probably never asked to be. He’s a Class 5, you know? The world was cruel to him since the day he was Pigmented, and he doesn’t need our hatred on top of it.” He sighed, frowning. “We’re all in this together, you know? We’re  _ all  _ criminals now, especially if we go after the Trojan. We can’t afford to not get along. Even if we can’t trust each other, we need to learn to depend on each other.”

 

With those words of wisdom, he shoved his pain away, heading for the porthouse again. Eden trailed behind, quiet now. She had a lot to think about.

  
  



	12. ZERO/MAX

Zero wasn’t sure how long he had been laughing. He just knew that Max had started and he hadn’t stopped yet. It knew Huens didn’t need oxygen, not like its Creators, but it did know they needed to take in breaths every now and then to cool themselves. With a great force of will, it clamped its mouth shut and took a deep breath through its nose. The flush in their cheeks died down, skin cooling slightly.

 

It waited, keeping its lips closed until the trembling of his shoulders calmed slightly. Rather than speak aloud and risk another fit, it sent out a cautious tendril of thought.

 

_ “Are you okay now...?” _

 

The response took a while, and it got the feeling Max was thinking over his answer.

 

“No. I won’t be for a while. But.....I’m done now. I’m sorry.” It nodded, sighing.

 

“I guess that’s the best I can ask for.” It jumped when the door opened suddenly, wincing when the ropes dug into its wrists. “Did you find any?”

 

Nathaniel looked at it, lips pressed in a tight line. “Yes, we did. We have enough to get us to Cydegi, but we’ll have to refuel once we get there.” Zero blinked, tilting its head.

 

“I do not understand the problem. You can just land on an inhabited planet, retrieve some fuel from them, and continue, correct?” it said. Nathaniel barked out a short laugh, crossing his arms.

 

“My ship is a repurposed  _ prison  _ ship.” Zero frowned, about to ask what he meant, but was cut off when Max spoke.

 

“The only prison in Cydegi with transport ships is Incarterus. Er, IC-230, is what it’s called on the maps.” He sighed, shifting his position slightly. “I learned about it a few months ago.” Nathaniel gave him a weird look.

 

“I find it hard to believe that they’d teach a bunch of kids about Incarterus. The Council  _ loves _ keeping it all hush-hush.” Max blushed, looking away.

 

“N-No, I.....it wasn’t in school that I learned about it. It.....After Callie.....” He trailed off, trembling slightly. He shook his head, clearing his throat. “Anyway, the point is, in order to refuel, we’d have to break into the most well-guarded prison this side of Andromeda,” he explained, mostly for Zero’s benefit. Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Max refused to look at him, instead staring at his jade-spattered shoes like they held the answers to everything.

 

It frowned, shifting and wincing again when the ropes rubbed their wrists raw. “Now that we have that cleared up, can you  _ please  _ untie us? I know that we have your coolant now, but I do not think we should waste it on a supply run. We still need to pick up any supplies we still need from that store before leaving.” Nathaniel looked back at Eden, teeth worrying his bottom lip. She hadn’t spoken since they arrived back at the porthouse, instead staring at the floor, shellshocked. Max tilted his head, frowning slightly.

 

“What’s up with her?” he asked, frown deepening when she flinched at the sound of his voice. He looked at Nathaniel, his eyes practically begging for answers. Nathaniel frowned uncomfortably, fiddling with the loose thread on his sleeve.

 

“I told her some things that......she hadn’t known. Dove seems to be handling it.......badly, to say the least,” he explained, crouching next to them and untying the knots around their wrists. It twitched when feeling rushed back into their fingertips, rubbing its wrists gently. “Sorry about leaving you tied up so long, it’s just....”

 

It chuckled humorlessly, a bitter smile spreading across his face. “You don’t trust us. Well....you don’t trust Zero. I know, you’ve only said it a million times.” Nathaniel blinked, shocked. He hadn’t ever told the  _ kid  _ that! “What, you think I’m deaf? I’ve been watching, every single little whisper and suspicious glance. I’m five, not  _ stupid.”  _ Nathaniel flinched, looking away guiltily.

 

“Anyway, we have to go. We are wasting time sitting here, and we need to leave soon, if we want to retrieve the supplies without using coolant,” it said, standing up and stretching, shaking its legs out and cracking its back. It headed for the door, looking back. “Look, either we go alone or you come with us. Either way, I am taking my leave.” It scooped the knife up off of the floor, securing it to a loop on their shorts with a strip of coarse brown cloth.

 

_ “Class 4 shirt cloth....”  _ Max whispered, and Zero got the feeling of a frown.

 

_ “What is so special about that?”  _ it asked. It frowned at Eden, unable to get out due to her blocking the door. It sighed, instead heading for the window.

 

_ “Dove’s a Class 3. They have blue shirts. Every Brutal Tertiary is coded by their brands and their shirt colors, I guess. At least, that’s what Mama told me. Threes get blue, Fours get brown, and Fives, like me, get grey. It’s how they can tell who’s what on sight, I guess, since sometimes you can’t see the brand,”  _ he explained dully. Zero slid the window open, climbing out carefully. It furrowed its brow, frowning deeply.

 

_ “Huh. That.......is pretty dumb. I mean, I know they hate Tertiaries, but.....color coding? Seriously?” _ it asked incredulously, getting its bearings before heading off to the store they’d seen. It got the impression of a mental shrug before Max changed the subject abruptly.

 

_ “How’re we s’pposed to get anything looking like  _ **_this?_ ** _ It’s hard enough shopping in my best clothes and completely clean, nevermind covered in fluid stains. They’d be watching us even before we even get through the door.”  _ It cursed under its breath, not having thought of that. It knew that part of that ignorance could be chalked up to only being educated on the  _ objective _ social trials of Tertiaries, but that didn’t excuse the rest of it. It had lived with Max for over a year now, after all. It’d seen how people treated him.

 

_ “Zero? Hey, Zero.”  _ No answer. Max forced his legs to stop, ignoring the dirty look he got from a Blue on the other side of the street. “Zero. We passed it, come on.” He turned around, subconsciously covering the brand with one hand, heading for the store on the corner of the road. He kept his head bowed and shoulders hunched, ignoring the suspicious glares and muttered insults thrown his way. 

 

He flinched when some particularly violent Reds shouldered him into a wall, walking away laughing when he smacked his head on the concrete, but didn’t retaliate. He gritted his teeth, forcing back both the dull pain and the rising desire to make them pay for hurting him. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. He was trying to  _ help  _ them.

 

_ “Some people just aren’t worth helping, kid.” _

  
  



	13. MAX/ZERO

Max took a deep breath to cool his processors, calming himself before entering the store. They had a limited amount of time to grab everything they’d need for the trip, and he still had no idea how they were going to  _ pay  _ for it. He didn’t have any money, and he didn’t think Zero grabbed any before they left either his house or the porthouse.

 

**_“Obviously_ ** _ we are going to steal what we need. Keep up, would you?”  _ Zero snapped. Max bit his lip, grabbing a basket and moving down a nearby aisle. The cashier at the front gave him a suspicious look, but he ignored it. He shoved a few boxes of sweetflakes into the basket, raising his eyes from the floor long enough to peer at the directory through his bangs.

 

_ “What do we need, anyway?”  _ he asked. Zero paused for a minute, thinking.

 

_ “Well, you already have sweetflakes, which will come in handy if you cannot get rest right away. We will also need power cubes, some spare tablet cables, a toolkit, and something to entertain us. Cydegi is far away, after all.”  _ Max nodded slightly before catching himself and tensing up, eyes darting around quickly to make sure nobody saw. An orange-skinned Class 2 raised an eyebrow at him, but continued their shopping quietly. He flushed slightly, quickly making his way to the next aisle.

 

The trip progressed smoothly from there, and he managed to get everything on his list, bar the entertainment. Just as he was about to add a color cartridge to his basket, a familiar tone sounded from his tablet. He stiffened, shoving the coloring book into the basket and started speedwalking towards the door.

 

_ “Kid? Hey, Max! What’s going on?!”  _ Zero snapped, confusion and worry lacing its ‘voice’. Max shook his head, weaving through piles of stock quickly.

 

“Hey, you! Stop!” He cursed violently, starting to run. He shouldered the doors open, ducking around a pair of Pastel twins before hightailing it back towards the porthouse. His tablet continued dinging insistently, demanding attention.

 

_ “Hey, isn’t that.....?” _

 

_ “That’s the kid from the LEB ping!” _

 

_ “Somebody catch him!” _

 

Zero cursed violently, tightening its grip around the basket and ducking an outstretched arm, nearly tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. It stumbled and straightened up, sacrificing a box of sweetflakes and a cable in its attempt to regain its lost momentum. It got another five feet forward before someone reached out and caught them by the back of the neck.

 

“H-Hey! Lemme go!” it snarled, twisting and struggling violently. It dropped the basket, wincing when it heard something crack.

 

“Maxwell Mohr, you’re under arrest for treason, homicide, and theft. Now hold still you little rat, so I can cuff you!” He stiffened, pausing for half a second while he tried to place the voice. A cuff snapped around his left wrist, snapping him out of it. He bared his teeth, shaking his hair out of his eyes before he started struggling again with renewed vigor. His flailing arms caught the Red in the eye, and he cursed, dropping Max on the ground. He scrambled to his feet, snatching the basket and taking off again, weaving around various pedestrians until he got to an empty alley, far away from the LEB officer. He skidded to a stop, pulling his tablet out of his pocket and deleting the ping, muting it, and stuffing it back in his pocket.

 

He gasped for air, desperately trying to cool himself from the exertion.  _ “Kid what the  _ **_hell_ ** _ was that?!”  _ Zero snarled, sounding equal parts angry and terrified.

 

“The LEB, they sent out a ping. Basically, it’s a wanted poster. Every Huen on Grudge knows my face, my name, and what we did.” He straightened up, leaning against the wall and pressing his forehead against the cool bricks. “I can’t ever show my face on the streets again, or I’ll get arrested.”

 

Zero was quiet long enough that he had grabbed the basket again and was halfway down the alley before it spoke again. “Then let’s get out of here. We cannot afford to get arrested, not now.”

 

*****

 

It was almost dawn when they got back, and Max was feeling the heat. He slid through the window feet-first, pulling the basket in after him. He was met with the blade of a knife pointing in his face, instinctively leaning back. “What the hell?!” it snapped, glaring up at Eden. She scoffed, waving her tablet in his face.

 

“You didn’t say you  _ killed  _ someone!” she snapped. It rolled its eyes, setting the basket down and crossing its arms defensively.

 

“I apologize. I did not realize you would want, nor needed, to know. After all, it is not like you ever  _ asked  _ us why we are a wanted fugitive,” it scoffed, sneering at her. She gritted her teeth, not lowering the knife.

 

“Who was it.” It wasn’t a question. It blinked, caught off guard.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Who. Did. You. Kill.” She carefully enunciated each word, as if she was talking to an animal......or a baby. He felt rather offended, but let it answer, the pain still too raw to deal with right now.

 

“His mother,” it said shortly, looking away from her. She recoiled, an expression not dissimilar to one she’d make if it’d just killed her best friend right in front of her crossing her face.

 

_ “Why?!”  _ she demanded. It gritted its teeth, shoving away its emotions and tensing up.

 

“That is what I am programmed to do. My standing orders are to take out high-ranking society members, by any means necessary. I am not like you, I am not a Huen. I am not AI. Or do you not remember? I am just a  _ virus,”  _ it said coldly, voice flat and toneless.

 

She growled, but dropped the knife, instead pulling out the blanket and ropes again. “Cross your arms.” It complied, unwilling to start any more conflict. Not when it threatened their continued safety.

 

Eden wrapped the blanket around them tightly, securing their arms with tight loops of rope and complicated knots. When she finished, it couldn’t even wiggle its fingers, though at least their joints weren’t cramping like last time. She wrapped a rope around their waist as well, tying it in a simple loop with a long tail at the front. She held the tail in one hand, putting away her tablet and grabbing a flask with the other. 

 

She unscrewed it, holding the mouth up to their lips. “Drink. It’s coolant. Nathaniel’s already waiting at the ship, so we need to get moving,” she said shortly. He drank, shivering as the icy liquid diffused through his fluid tubes. She wiped the mouth of the flask on her shirt, draining the rest of it and tossing it away, wiping her mouth. She grabbed the basket, shouldering open the door and tugging him along behind her.

 

The sun beat down on his shoulders, but he ignored it, too caught up in his own thoughts. Was this really worth it? Were they doing the right thing?

 

_ “Of course we are doing the right thing.” _

 

_ “But what if we  _ **_aren’t?_ ** _ What if we’re  _ **_not_ ** _ helping anybody?” _

 

_ “.......then that is a problem we will handle when we get to it.” _

 

“Hey, what’re you dawdling for? Keep walking!”

 

*****

 

_ “Promise me you’ll be good, Max! Please! Promise me!” _

 

_ “Get away from her!”  _

 

_ “Max, PLEASE!” _

 

_ “I....I.....I promise, Callie! I promise I’ll be good!” _

  
  



	14. MAX/ZERO | EDEN

The ship was large, run down, and definitely didn’t inspire confidence. Zero looked around, eyes wide in disbelief.  _ This  _ is the kind of rustbucket Huen prisoners were subject to? It was disgusting! It would be the first to admit that it didn’t have much experience, but from what it had observed, the Creators treated their prisoners better than this. “Are you certain that this thing can take us all the way to Cydegi without falling apart?” it asked dubiously, twitching slightly when Eden shot it a harsh glare.

 

“Hey, I’ll have you know it’s a lot better than when I got it.” It jumped, startled, instinctively trying to reach for the knife on their hip before remembering that their arms were pinned to their body. Instead, it settled for glaring at Nathaniel, a sneer playing on its lips.

 

“Then please, forgive me my doubt,” it said sarcastically, turning away. Nathaniel scowled, but didn’t reply. Eden took the opportunity to drag them down the hall, handing off the rope to Nathaniel.

 

“I can start it up. You go put him somewhere, and make sure he doesn’t have access to any weapons.” Nathaniel tilted his head, eyes darting to the handheld he’d left on the counter before nodding silently. “Good. I’ll meet you in the control room.”

 

Eden turned to a nearby door panel, sliding it open with a small grunt of exertion. Nathaniel continued down the hall, dragging Max along behind him until they reached the crew living quarters. “Considering what you two did, I really should be putting you in the prisoner barracks. However, I’m not a total asshole, so I won’t. I’m warning you now though, any funny business, and I’ll reconsider. Got it?” Max sneered again, but it fought him back and nodded sullenly.

 

“Can you at least remove the blanket? It makes our joints seize up when we are restrained like this for too long.” Nathaniel gave them a long, considering look before finally nodding. “Thank you.”

 

“Don’t get too relaxed, I’m still going to restrain you, and I’ll have to take your knife.” He stiffened, eyes narrowing in anger.

 

“Don’t you  _ DARE!”  _ he hissed, taking several steps back into the open room to get away from Nathaniel. “I’m so  _ tired  _ of being tied up, by my  _ family  _ no less! Take the knife, I don’t care, but once you let me go then stay the hell  _ away _ from me!” he snarled, baring his teeth. His anger intensified his glow, bathing the dingy grey room in green. 

 

“Neither me nor Dove trust you, kid,” Nathaniel said, hiding his almost imperceptible wince at the reminder of their familial status. “It’s either I tie you up, or I leave the blanket on, your choice.”

 

Max laughed, the sound dark, bitter, and completely unfitting for his youthful appearance. “I’m not asking for trust, I’m asking for some  _ compassion!”  _ He scowled, glaring at Nathaniel. “If you don’t let me go, I swear to you I will do my best to make every single day we’re on this ship  _ hell  _ for you.” Nathaniel looked unimpressed, his own golden eyes flashing in a silent challenge. Max’s pupils contracted, thin slits making him look even more wild than he already did. He launched himself forward, making it three steps before it jerked back, squeezing its eyes shut.

 

“Get out.” Nathaniel blinked, his glow dimming slightly. Its eyes snapped open, binary code scrolling rapidly over them. “I said  _ GET OUT! _ GET OUT OR I SWEAR TO THE CREATORS I WILL  _ KILL _ YOU!” it screamed, cheeks flushed violet. Nathaniel’s eyes widened, and he scrambled back quickly, slamming the door shut. 

 

He could still faintly hear screaming coming from within the room, though this sounded more like it was directed at the kid than him. He used the keypad by the door to override the internal lock, letting out a small sigh of relief when the pad flashed red and the door panel clicked. He flinched back when a loud thump sounded from within, almost shaking the ship with the force. 

 

He shook his head, heading back to the main control room. He’d deal with the kid later, after he’d calmed down.

 

*****

 

Eden heard the screaming, but ignored it in favor of trying to start the ship. She was vaguely familiar with the control panel, having helped her father in his transport pod before she was Pigmented, but some of the functions escaped her. She made do with context clues, managing to get it in the air. She inched towards the takeoff dock, picking up speed as she went.

 

She jumped slightly when the slightly rusted door squealed from behind her, but ignored it, angling the nose of the ship upwards and increasing the acceleration. It groaned worryingly, but went faster, breaking out of the atmosphere into space. “Put in your map cartridge,” she said to Nathaniel, not looking back. She heard the rustling of clothing from behind her, tensing automatically when he brushed past her to shove the map in. “Did you want to take over flying?” she asked.

 

“No, you’re good. I just figured I’d come see how you were doing.” She nodded, tracing the map and selecting a route. She sighed when she saw just how long it was, wishing that Great War Era ships had warp capabilities.

 

“According to this map, I’m pretty sure it’ll take about three weeks or so to reach Incarterus, then about another week to get to this other planet. Think we can get away with keeping the kid locked up so he doesn’t kill us all?” she said, smiling humorlessly. It was an empty joke, something desperate to try and keep the conversation familiar. Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head.

 

“No, I doubt it. He.......Honestly, I don’t think we should restrain him at all anymore.” He held up a hand, stopping her protests in their tracks. “I know, he’s dangerous. But....stars, Dove, you didn’t see him in there. He looked terrified! I.....I don’t know what happened to him, but I’m pretty sure that someone’s done this before.” She closed her mouth, blinked, shook her head, and opened it again.

 

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. Who’s this mystery person that tied him up? He’s like, what, five?” she asked, setting the ship to autopilot and stepping back from the control panel. She turned to face Nathaniel fully, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him. He scratched the back of his head, looking away.

 

“I’m.......I’m guessing it was his dad. I mean, since the ping said he killed someone, and Uncle Grant obviously has a vendetta, I’m sure his mom was the one killed.” Eden nodded, confirming this. “So then, knowing what I do of Uncle Grant, he’s the most likely culprit. I doubt Max was able to get away immediately after killing Aunt Shona, so something happened between the time she died and the time he ran. I’m thinking Grant tied him up in order to wait for backup without risk of injury.” Eden nodded again, scowling.

 

“Figures. Mohr always was a right bastard....I wouldn’t put it past him to do somethin’ like that to his own kid. You should’ve heard how he was talking about him last night, like he was some kinda garbage....” she muttered. She sighed and looked away, biting back the expletives that wanted to claw their way out of her throat.

 

Nathaniel nodded, tucking a loose bit of hair behind his ear. “Yeah. He, uh........He showed up earlier, before you came back with the coolant. Him and a Flat, and he.....he said that Max wasn’t his son anymore. Because of the virus.” His lips twisted in irritation, paling to peach with the force. Eden’s eyes widened, top lip pulling back subconsciously in a shocked snarl.

 

_ “Seriously?!  _ I don’t trust the kid any farther than I could throw him, but that’s just  _ sick!  _ Who’d do that to their own  _ kid?!”  _ But she knew. She knew  _ exactly _ the kind of person that’d do that to their own child, was intimately familiar with that kind of person. Her own post-Pigmenting life had sucked, but some of the kids in the gang had it even worse than she did,  _ him  _ included. Nathaniel seemed to agree, his eyes darkening ever so slightly before he shook his head, crossing his arms.

 

“Yeah. And......honestly, I think he’s not over it. Still. So....that’s why I think we should let him go.” He looked away, shoulders hunching slightly. Eden furrowed her brow, thinking it over. If they cut him loose, they ran the risk of dying alone on the ship, no medics, no proper care, nothing. She’d always been afraid of death in the abstract sense, but now it was a very real possibility.

 

But on the other hand, he was just a  _ kid.  _ Just because he had some kind of world-ending virus in his coding didn’t make him a bad person at his core. In all honesty, if he hadn’t had the virus and ended up running anyway; and if she’d met him before the raid, she would’ve taken him in without a second thought. So, was it him, or was it the virus she was so scared of?

 

“I agree.” Nathaniel looked up, shocked. She blushed slightly, waving a hand. “I-I mean, it’s not right. We’re so scared of what he  _ could  _ do, that I think....I think we forgot he’s just a kid.” She scowled, blush deepening at the dumbstruck look on his face. “Get that stupid look off yer mug! I can be nice!” she snapped, crossing her arms and looking away,  _ not  _ pouting.

 

Nathaniel shook his head, his own ears tingeing an odd brownish color. “I-I.....sorry. Anyway, should.....should I go check on him?” he asked. Eden shook her head, looking down at the ground.

 

“No, it’s okay. I.....I should probably apologize. I’ll go get him.” She walked past Nathaniel without looking up, missing the small, sad smile he was wearing as he turned back to the dashboard.

 

“Just....be careful.”

 

*****

 

Zero looked up when the door opened, pressing its back further into the corner of the room. It had just barely calmed Max down, and didn’t want to have to follow through on its threat because Nathaniel was dumb enough to come back. To its surprise, it wasn’t Nathaniel in the doorway. It was Dove, holding a knife. It cringed back, baring their teeth and huddling up into a tighter ball, legs drawing up instinctively to protect their stomach.

 

She held up her hands, stopping her approach. It eyed the knife in her hand warily, still watching her. “I’m gonna cut the ropes. Is that okay?” she asked, voice softer than they’d ever heard it. It narrowed its eyes, trying to tell if she was lying, but read only honesty in her body language. Instead of replying, it lowered its knees slowly, struggling to its feet.

 

She came closer slowly, carefully, like she was approaching a wild animal. In a way, it supposed she was. They hadn’t exactly done anything one could consider  _ trustworthy, _ after all. It tensed up when she reached them and began sawing at the knot on their chest, trying not to tremble. The rope harness fell away, the blanket going with it. Zero backed up, rubbing its wrists and still watching the knife. She noticed where it was looking and smiled sadly, dropping the knife on the floor and stepping away. Its eyes widened in surprise, going from the knife on the floor to her face in shocked silence.

 

“I.....wanted to talk to you. To both of you.” He stirred, interest piqued. It narrowed its eyes, but nodded anyway, still pressed into the corner and ready to run. “I....I wanted to say I’m sorry.” Their eyes widened, mouth dropping open in surprise. “I haven’t treated either of you fairly. Max, I treated you like a ticking time bomb, like you’d suddenly snap and kill both me and Nathaniel if given the right motivation. And.......I’m sorry, I don’t know your name?” She paused, looking apologetically at them.

 

“.........call me Zero,” it said, voice hoarse and disbelieving. She nodded, continuing like she’d never stopped.

 

“Zero, I treated you like a disease, like you weren’t to be trusted. And.....I apologize. I understand if you two don’t trust me, or if you never like me, and honestly? I probably deserve it.” She laughed here, a small, self-deprecating laugh. “But I just wanted you to know. You have free run of the ship, by the way. I.....I took the supplies, but your coloring cartridge is in the room to the right, off the entrance hall.” She turned her back to them, something that nearly made its brain short-circuit with the gesture of blatant trust. “See you later.”

  
  



	15. MAX | EDEN

They stared at the door for a long while, their world crashing down around them. Dove had.......apologized? To  _ them?  _ It was like they’d somehow stepped into an alternate reality. Although, if he was being honest, he much preferred this one to the one they’d just left.

 

“Hey, Zero......D’you think she was lying....? About.....About bein’ sorry, I mean,” Max said finally, voice weak and hoarse from the tantrum he’d thrown earlier. It didn’t answer at first, picking at a loose bit of paint under their leg.

 

“I....cannot say for certain. She seemed like she was telling the truth, but then again.......” It trailed off, frowning. Max sighed, wedging his nail under the paint chip and peeling it away from the floor.

 

“.......it wouldn’t be the first time.”

 

*****

 

She hurried back to the control room, ears flaming and a scowl fixed firmly on her face. The kid had looked at her with such blatant shock when she’d apologized that it had made her heart  _ ache.  _ He was only  _ five!  _ She shook her head, pausing with her hand on the door when she heard quiet, hesitant footsteps from behind her.

 

“.............do you know where I could find some more colors...?” Her shoulders tensed in surprise, but she didn’t turn around.

 

“....Max? she ventured cautiously. An affirmative noise. “I think I saw some in one of the crew quarters. D’you want me to look?”

 

“Mm, that’s okay. We’ll find them.” He started walking away, then stopped. “........thanks, by the way, Dove. For apologizing.” Then he was off. She smiled humorlessly to herself, squeezing her eyes shut to try and push back tears.

 

“.......call me Eden,” she whispered, before sliding the door open.

 

~*~

 

**_Two weeks later...._ **

 

~*~

 

“I heard Nathaniel and Eden talking earlier, when you were sleeping,” Max said. He had his head propped up on one hand as he lay on his stomach, legs kicking in the air behind him. He idly poked at the color options on his screen, hesitating over the orange for a moment before picking the brown instead.

 

“Really? What did they say?” it asked, carefully outlining the edges of the face with thick, precise lines. He shrugged, biting his lower lip gently.

 

“Somethin’ about fuel and Incarterus. And some guy named Jay, I think. Anyway, that’s not the point!” He put the pen down, rolling over and staring at the ceiling instead. “They said they’re gonna break him out, which means that maybe I can convince them to get Callie too!” Its eyes widened, and it sat up quickly.

 

“Wait,  _ seriously?  _ That is wonderful news! It has been a year or so since you saw her last, yes?” He nodded, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt.

 

“Yeah! I really miss her, ya know? I wonder if she misses me, too.” It laughed, nodding.

 

“I am sure she does. I mean, she really cares about you, you know?” it said, propping one arm up on their knee and resting their head on their hand again. He sighed, tracing the shape of his brand into the dust on the floor.

 

“Yeah, I know. It’s just........I’ve changed. She loved me before, but it’s been  _ forever  _ by now! What.....” He stopped, swallowing the lump of fear that suddenly welled up in his throat before trying again. “What if she doesn’t love me anymore?” he whispered.

 

It frowned, wrapping its arms around itself, trying its best to give him a hug. “.....It’s a possibility, but.......very unlikely. Families..........they are forever, correct? If someone truly cares about you, they will never leave you behind. You understand?” He nodded, hesitantly. It tightened its arms, and he smiled sadly. “Even if she does leave you, I will always be with you. Okay?”

 

“.......okay.”

 

*****

 

He ventured out of their room the next day, nervously wandering into the main relaxation room. He stood awkwardly in the doorway for a long time, just watching. Nathaniel was sprawled out on a couch, reading a book, though they couldn’t see the cover from here. Eden was bent over some mechanical doodad, legs pulled up under her and her hair spilling over her shoulders. Max swallowed nervously, hesitating for a long minute before trying to back away.

 

“Are you just gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna come in?” Nathaniel asked, amused. Max yelped, cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

 

“S-Sorry, I.....” He trailed off, biting his lip and wringing his hands anxiously. Eden looked back at him, brushing her hair out of her face. She sighed, setting the thing aside.

 

“Kid, just get in here. You obviously got somethin’ on your mind, and I don’t wanna get a crick in my neck tryin’ to talk to ya,” she said gruffly, though not unkindly. Max’s blush deepened, but he nodded anyway, taking small, hesitant steps over the threshold. When he was fully in the room, he stopped, unable to make himself move further. It rolled its eyes, shoving down all his nerves and striding the rest of the way into the room, plopping down in an armchair.

 

“Well? You obviously wanted  _ something,  _ so spill. What’s up, kid?” Nathaniel asked, marking his page and setting the book down inside of a containment cube. It faded back from the front, allowing Max to take back control. He twisted his hands in the fabric of the too-big cotton pants he wore, shoulders shaking.

 

“Do.....do you remember.....my sister?” he asked, voice halting and unsure. Nathaniel blinked, tilting his head.

 

“Sister? Yeah, Calliope, right?” he asked. Max nodded, but didn’t relax at all. “What about her?”

 

“She’s a Secondary like you, a Flat Purple. She.......She always loved helping people, protecting them from the LEB n’ stuff. When.....When I was Pigmented, she always stuck up for me against the bullies, the bigger kids who thought that she was trash and I was scum, that I didn’t deserve to be happy because of what I was.” He sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “She loved me s-so much.....and she loved everyone  _ so much..... _ But they took her.” He hiccuped, screwing his eyes shut as the tears began flowing faster. “They took her away from me and they locked her up and I haven’t seen her in  _ forever  _ and.....and....and-!”

 

Eden’s eyes widened in worry, and she sat up a bit straighter. “W-Woah, kid, calm down! Y-You don’t hafta tell us all this if you don’t want to.....” she said gently, reaching out a hand before taking it back, afraid he wouldn’t want it. Nathaniel nodded, his face unusually serious.

 

“She’s right. If it hurts too much to talk about it....” he started, but Max cut him off, shaking his head violently.

 

“No! I......I _need_ to tell you! If I don’t tell you, I’ll never another chance to save her!” He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down a bit. “She’s locked up in Incarterus, because they said she was a traitor......and I wanna save her.” He looked up at them, eyes wide and shining with tears. “Please? Help me get her outta there.....? I....I know you’re gonna break out this guy Jay, and I just......I just wanna add Callie to the list. So, please?” he whispered, fingers tightening in the fabric of his pants.

 

Eden and Nathaniel exchanged looks of concern and alarm, obviously not expecting that huge information bomb. Eden bit her lip gently, nodding once before turning back to Max.

 

“We’ll do it.”

 

*****

 

They were trying to see if their rapidly-lengthening hair could reach the floor if they lay upside down when it happened. The door slammed open, squealing in protest. They yelped in surprise, tumbling off the bed in a mess of blankets and flailing limbs. He looked over at the door, raising an eyebrow when Eden motioned for him to follow, flushed and gasping for air.

 

It untangled itself, pushing up off the floor and following her with a bemused expression. He felt something was  _ different,  _ but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Eden led them to the control room, having regained her equilibrium just as they arrived. “Kid, you’re gonna love this.”   
  
He tilted his head, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “Love what?” he asked, crossing his arms and looking up at her. Eden grinned, pulling open the door. Nathaniel was standing at the controls, watching out the window intently. Max wandered over to the console, carefully avoiding the buttons, and looked out.

 

His first reaction was  _ ‘What the hell is that?’,  _ but his second reaction? Excitement, longing, and a vicious sense of betrayal, all warring for a place inside his over-tired mind. His eyes widened, a wide grin spreading slowly across his face, a sort of lopsided half-smirk that kind of unsettled the other two occupants of the room.

 

They’d arrived at Incarterus.

 

“Callie......here I come....” he whispered, fists clenching tightly at his sides as he stared out of the window at the barren planet his sister was forced to call home. 

 

“I’ll get you out of there.....I promise.”


End file.
